Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies
by mistykasumi
Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry&Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction. HxD, RxHR, SSxRL, TRxOFC COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1: The Last Hogwarts Summer

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 1

The Last Hogwarts Summer

Harry looked at his clock, watching it tick slowly. Three, two, one, the second hand reached the number twelve. It was midnight. Finally, it was his seventeenth birthday. Harry knew that the next day, owls would arrive from all his friends, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Sirius, and they would be carrying presents for him. What a shame he couldn't go to the Burrow this summer. Dumbledore had flatly refused when Harry asked him, saying that Harry would be safer with the Dursleys. To Harry, that was a load of rubbish, but he had no choice except to trust Dumbledore.

The Dursleys hadn't changed. They were still ignoring Harry, as always, and they still let Harry keep his stuff in his room, but they had started getting nastier. The Dursleys had started doubting the exisistence of Sirius. If only Sirius could come to his rescue, take him away from these wretched muggles, especially Dudley, who had gained even more weight, and had to walk sideways through the doors now. The Dursleys had to get custom-tailored Smeltings uniforms for Dudley.

Harry thought about his friends, and what they were doing. Ron was probably hanging around the Burrow or maybe visiting Fred and George. Fred and George had opened a joke shop now, and they were now Zonko's archrival. Each shop always scrambled to be the first to come up with a new joke item. The twins had a branch of their shop at Hogsmeade, and it was a great hit with the students, especially Gryffindors. Fred and George had moved to London, and their main shop was in Diagon Alley. They were certainly rich enough to have Ron visit them.

Hermione had recently broken up with Krum. She had said that he just wasn't right for her, that she didn't feel anything when she was with him, so it was better to break up with him now to save him grief. Hermione was probably vacationing in France again with her parents. The country seemed to be a great favorite of the Grangers. And the girl was probably memorizing everything for next year.

Sirius was still in hiding, and Harry had no idea where. Sirius had sent him a letter with his Hogsmeade permission slip, and had reassured Harry about his safety. Death Eater activity was starting again. The Ministry had automatically assumed that Sirius had helped the Dark Lord gain power again, and were now searching everywhere thoroughly for any signs of Death Eaters. Harry knew that they wouldn't succeed. It was too late. Voldemort had reached full power again, and was starting to wreak havoc again, like how it used to be. Death Eater activity was still very slight, but Harry knew it would increase as time passed by.

Hagrid was at Hogwarts, as usual. He still hadn't told Harry, Ron, and Hermione what Dumbledore asked him and Maxime to do in fourth year. Harry had a hunch that Dumbledore sent them as envoy to the giants, seeing as how both of them were half-giant. However, Harry didn't know if Hagrid had succeeded or not.

Harry missed his friends. He missed Hogwarts, the castle, the lake with the giant squid in it, the grounds, especially Hagrid's hut, Hogsmeade, the shops, Three Broomsticks, all the stuff you can buy in them, but most of all, people there. His fellow Gryffindors, of course, Ron and Hermione especially, Malfoy...

Malfoy???!!!! Why was he thinking about the stupid git? The pale, blonde boy had been causing him trouble ever since on the train to Hogwarts in first year, when Harry refused his invitation. From then on, the two had become archrivals, and they were nothing else. So why was he thinking about him?

Harry shrugged it off. It was probably because he missed Hogwarts so much that he missed the bad things that came with it. Like Malfoy. Harry yawned; exhausation rushed over Harry, and the boy turned off the light and climbed into the bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

***

Draco lay on his stomach on his bed. His whole body was still sore from his father casting the Cruciatus Curse on him. Lucius Malfoy had begun training Draco in the Dark Arts as preparation for becoming a Death Eater. He always cast the spell on Draco, letting Draco feel the effects of the spell, then he taught it to Draco. Draco was forced to perform the spells on Muggles that his father had kidnapped. The look of terror on their faces...Draco sighed. And if Draco failed, he would be punished, usually with the Cruciatus Curse. He hated Lucius, hated him with a passion.

The bedroom door opened. Draco looked up to see Narcissa enter the room. His head slumped down again when he saw his visitor. She glided soundlessly on the silver velvet carpet, and reaching Draco's bed, sat down next to him on the green silk spread.

"Draco?"

"Yes, Mother?"

Narcissa remembered the spoiled little boy Draco used to be. The boy who refused to leave her side. The little boy that always clung to her, the dragon that couldn't be shaken off. He had accompanied her everywhere, visiting friends, shopping, balls, everywhere, from the time he was born. Once, she had gone to visit a friend in Ireland while Draco was asleep, and when he had woken up, her son had thrown a huge tantrum. He ripped the drapes off the windows, he broke all of Lucius's potions, did everything imaginable to the manor, all because she wasn't there. When she went back the next day, she had discovered Malfoy Manor in shambles, some parts caving in, decorations strewn all over the floor. Draco, however, had kept all her things and much of his things intact, not having the heart to trash them. Narcissa had learned to never leave Draco alone without her by his side.

She remembered when Draco received his first Hogwarts letter. He had thrown another tantrum that beat the other one by far. There was almost nothing left of the manor after he had finished, except for Narcissa's most prized jewelry and doll collection and Draco's antique fan and dagger collection. Everything else had been ruined. Lucius could not control the boy. Draco had tapped into his magical energy for the second time, and had slammed Lucius into a former wall of the house. It took a few charms and more than a few spells to restore Malfoy Manor to its former splendor, and it took Narcissa the rest of the summer to convince Draco to attend Hogwarts. Now, Draco didn't cling to her like he used to, and Narcissa had to admit that she missed it.

Narcissa leaned down and ruffled her son's hair affectionately. "I'm really sorry about what your father does. If I could, I would stop him, but I would be no match for him, and if I'm gone, then who would protect you?" She sighed. "Sometimes I wonder how I could have fallen in love with Lucius. I was a Ravenclaw, for God's sake. I sacrificed all my friends and my family for him. I don't want to lose you, too."

Draco looked at his mother. He remembered how he used to cling to Narcissa, that if he was left in the house without her, he would throw tantrums. But after six years of Hogwarts, Draco had grown independent, without as much need for his mother as he used to. But sometimes, he missed the moments that he shared with Narcissa, not that he let it show. Narcissa would always pamper him, and they would spend long periods of time together, lost in their own world. She always played the game Draco wanted to play, and his mother never complained. She was full of laughter and smiles, and he missed that.

"I've decided to keep in touch with you. God knows how I've been bored to death here in this manor all alone for the past several years. Besides, you'll need someone to look out for you this year. With the rerising of You- Know-Who and all." Narcissa took out a small book and put it in front of Draco. "Remember this? Whatever I write in my book will appear in yours, and vice-versa. You and I are the only people who can touch these books. If someone else touches them, the body part that they touched it with will catch on a magical fire that will burn them and won't extingush until they're one hundered feet away. If someone trys to use their wand to do anything with the book, the same thing will happen to their wand. Thus, your privacy is guaranteed. Remember to write often, Little Dragon. Your mother could do with a few smiles."

Emotions passed fleetingly in Draco's eyes. It had been so long since Narcissa had callen him by the pet name she gave him. He caved in to his emotions for once and buried his head in his mother's lap.

"Why does he have to do this to me? Why me? What have I ever done to him, the damn bastard? Why can't he let me live a normal life for once? I've missed you, Mummy. Why aren't you around like you used to? Why..."

"Shh...It'll be okay." Narcissa put her arms around her son and stroked his back while comforting the sobbing boy. He wrapped his arms around her slim body and clung to her silk blouse, sobbing into it. A house-elf passing by the room closed the door respectfully, and Narcissa stayed in Draco's room the whole night, watching over him as he slept.

***

Harry awoke to Uncle Vernon's snoring. He reached over to his bedside table, grabbed his glasses, and put them on. The boy glanced at his bedside clock to find that it was only 5:00. However, he could not fall asleep due to the loud snoring seeping through the walls, so Harry left bed and got ready for another day. He wrote an essay for History of Magic on wizards and witches in the Middle Ages. Harry knew much about that topic, for last year, he had come face to face with Morgan Le Fey, the famous witch from the Middle Ages who was the half-sister of King Authur. Morgan's soul had been trapped in a emerald, which in turn was made into a necklace. That necklace was bought by Pansy Parkinson, and Morgan had been able to take control of Pansy. The necklace was passed from person to person, for Morgan was trying to find someone to set her free. Hermione, Harry, and Ron, after spending lots of time in the library doing research, figured it out. They went to Dumbledore, and in the end, Morgan was set free.

The year before that, it was Gryffindor's Treasure. Every day, there were people who claimed that they had glimpsed some treasure, but when they looked closely, it disappeared. Dumbledore had told them all that it was the legendary Gryffindor's Treasure, and only a true Gryffindor could access it. In the end, Harry found the door to the treasure, and discovered many books with very complicated spells that made Hermione very jealous, a Luboball, which shows the thing you love most, and a huge pile of gold. He had slipped Ron some of the gold for his family, and the rest were in his vault in Gringotts. Harry was now beyond rich, probably richer than even Malfoy.

Just after Harry finished writing his essay, he heard a tapping on his window. Harry stood up and opened the window. Hedwig flew in and dropped a letter and a parcel on his bed, followed by Errol and Pidwidgeon, and two owls Harry didn't recognize, a handsome tawny owl and a regular barn owl. He opened Hedwig's delivery first. It was a happy birthday card from Sirius, and Sirius had given him...Harry gasped. It was a beautiful fur cloak, in red and gold, with three gold fasteners. It went all the way down to the floor and looked very dashing on Harry. Next were Ron's parcels, which were full of food from Mrs. Weasley, and Ron had given him some novelty items from Fred and George's shop. Hermione had sent Harry some French sweets, since she was vacationing in France again. Hagrid had sent Harry a box full of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. The handsome tawny owl had also come to deliver Harry's Hogwarts letter. He allowed all the owls to share Hedwig's water and food and her perch. Harry then hid all the stuff in the loose board under the bed and went down for breakfast.

***

Draco's eyes fluttered, then slowly opened. He found himself in his bed, with the green silk covers drawn over him, and his mother sitting by him, looking at him with a tired look in her eyes.

"You're finally awake, Little Dragon."

"Mummy? Have you been watching me all this time?"

Narcissa looked away.

"You shouldn't have, Mummy."

"Anything for you, Little Dragon. Have you forgotten what day it is today?"

"It's my birthday! Of course!"

"I will be expecting you in my room in half an hour." Narcissa stood and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Draco watched her as she left, then quickly jumped out of bed. He brushed his teeth in his own bathroom, washed his face, slicked his hair back, and put on a black tank top and black leather pants.

Draco quickly left the room barefoot and went down the mahogany staircase and into the kitchen, where a house-elf was scrubbing the aluminum sink.

"I need some breakfast!"

"Yes, Master Draco." The house-elf bowed and went to cook breakfast. In five minutes, the

house-elf had a stack of pancakes. Draco wolfed them down and hurriedly ran out of the kitchen, down the hallway, up the stairs, and into his mother's room. Narcissa had her own room, where she kept her personal things.

Narcissa looked up when Draco opened the door. She stood up from the chair she was sitting on in front of her dresser.

"Right on time, Little Dragon. I've decided it's time to give you this, since I won't really need it anymore, and you'll have greater use for it." Narcissa opened the bottom drawer of her dresser and after looking through it, pulled out a pure white cloak. She handed it to Draco.

Draco took it in his hands. The cloak had a beautiful color, and it felt like velvet.

"What is this, Mummy?"

"This is a Merging Cloak. It's the predecessor of the Invisibility Cloak. Whenever you put on the Merging Cloak, you merge in with your surroundings, so people won't know you are there. However, there is a drawback. Come over here. Stand by my dresser, and put on the cloak."

Draco walked to Narcissa's dresser and put on the cloak, making sure that it covered every inch of his body, from head to toes.

"I see a new bottle of mood perfume on my dresser. However, if I wanted to use it, I would touch you instead. That's the drawback and also the reason why there aren't many Merging Cloaks in our world anymore."

Draco took off the Merging Cloak and folded it carefully. He looked at Narcissa with gratitude in his eyes.

"Thank you, Mother."

"That's not all the presents from me for your birthday."

Draco eagerly scanned the room.

"Where's the other one?"

"We're going to spend a whole day together, like we used to."

A glint came into the boy's eyes. He stood on tiptoes and whispered into his mother's ear. She giggled.

"All right then, Little Dragon. This will be fun!"

***

Harry eagerly crossed the days off on his calendar. Each day with the Dursleys was long and boring. Harry felt ready to die of boredom by the time August 31 finally arrived. He, Ron, and Hermione had decided to meet in Diagon Alley on August 31. A week before, Harry had asked Uncle Vernon to drive him to the pub outside Diagon Alley. Harry had a pretty good idea where the pub was. Uncle Vernon had refused at first, but after Harry threatened him with Sirius, Uncle Vernon grudgingly agreed. He was a bit happy though, since he was getting rid of Harry a day earlier.

Right after breakfast, on August 31, Harry and Uncle Vernon stepped into the car, Harry carrying all his stuff with him, and the two left Privet Drive, Harry forever, for Harry was going to rent a flat somewhere far away after this year. When the two arrived, Harry quickly climbed out of the car, taking his stuff, and went into the Leaky Cauldron, not once looking back.

He checked in with Tom, who was more than happy to have Harry live there. He led Harry to the same room that Harry had been in in Third Year. Harry dumped all his stuff on the bed, took his Hogwarts letter out of his trunk, let Hedwig out of her cage, and ran out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Harry left the pub and went into the small courtyard in the back, then took out his wand and tapped on the brick that he had tapped on so many times during Third Year. Seconds later, Diagon Alley appeared before Harry.

Harry strolled to the Apothecary. He passed two blonde-haired people looking at fluxweed, then remembering that he needed some himself, went to the opposite side and started picking some out. He then heard a familiar voice. Harry looked up in time to see Malfoy talking to his mother. And Harry was shocked to hear what Malfoy said.

"How long can we keep this up, Mummy?"

Harry was shocked. First of all, Malfoy had called his mother Mummy. He didn't know the git had feelings for anything. Second, it seemed that Malfoy had a little secret between him and his mother, and Harry wondered briefly what it could be, ludicrous ideas swimming in his head.

He then saw Narcissa pull Malfoy into a hug and whispered into his ear. They suddenly broke apart. Harry looked toward the door and quickly hid behind the fluxweed containers, his face bursting from restrained laughter.

Harry heard footsteps walking towards him, and he tried to crawl away. Two pairs of feet stopped in front of him, and four arms helped him up.

"Did you see Lucius Malfoy, the git?" Ron asked.

"Did I? That purple really suited him!"

"It's not nice to make fun of people," Hermione said, but even she was smiling. It seemed that Lucius Malfoy's skin had somehow turned purple.

"This equals the time when Malfoy was turned into a white ferret in Fourth Year!" Ron exclaimed. "Whoever did that, you're the greatest!"

For the next several hours, Harry, Ron, and Hermione caught up in current events. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were once again staying at the Leaky Cauldron, almost like that time in Third Year. Finally, with the shopping done, the three entered the Leaky Cauldron where Harry was immediately swept up in a hug by Mrs. Weasley.

"Harry, dear, how are you? We had asked Dumbledore to send you here this year, and I was so shocked when he refused, insisting that you stay with your relatives! Are you all right, Harry?"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I'm just fine. Hello, Ginny." Ginny blushed and quickly turned away. "Where's Mr. Weasley?"

"The Ministry just called him." Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips. "He is so overworked these days, what with You-Know-Who rising and all. Fudge finally came to his senses and realized You-Know-Who was rerising. Took him long enough."

"Mum, there's nothing we can do about Fudge." Ron piped up.

"Yes, dear." Mrs. Weasley mused absently.

Mrs. Weasley took Ginny and left, saying that they had some business.

"What's wrong with your mum, Ron?" Harry asked, concerned.

"She's overstressed. Mum's always worried about Dad being attacked by Voldemort, and us dying at the hands of Death Eaters. She's really scared of us dying, and made me and Ginny promise to owl her every week to tell her what's happening at Hogwarts."

"You should be glad you have someone that worries over you, Ron," Hermione said softly. She turned to look at Harry sadly.

"Don't worry about me. I survived meeting Him three times, remember?"

"Still, Harry, you need to be more careful."

***

That night, Mrs. Weasley had cooked for them. Her cooking hadn't gone down in quality. In fact, it tasted as good as ever to Harry. All the children ate hungrily, but Mrs. Weasley just sat, with a tired look on her face.

"Ron, don't you think you should try to cheer up your Mum?" Hermione asked.

"I've tried. But nothing works. The only thing that'll cheer her up is Dad coming home."

At that very moment, Arthur Weasley apparated by Molly with a small pop.

Mrs. Weasley looked up.

"Arthur! You're back!" Her face lit up.

"Don't worry, Molly, nothing happened. Hello, kids, Hermione, Harry. No thanks, Molly, I'm tired, I'll just go up and take a nap."

Mrs. Weasley followed her husband upstairs, leaving the teenagers alone.

"Poor Mum. She's always so worried about Dad."

"She ought to be, Ron! Your Dad's probably in grave danger most of the time!"

"Please stop, Ron, Hermione. Let's not fight over such trivial things."

The meal was finished in silence.

______________________________________

This fic will be updated every week.

Edited 10/22/02


	2. Chapter 2: The Founders' Pride

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 2

The Founders' Pride

The next day, Harry woke up early. He quickly packed his trunk and went downstairs, where Mrs. Weasley was already waiting with Ginny and Hermione. Ron staggered down a moment later.

"We are going to have breakfast, and then we're leaving for Platform 9¾. Your father had to go in early again, but he got the Ministry to send a car."

After a mouth-watering breakfast, they went back upstairs, took their trunks down, and while Mrs. Weasley and Harry paid, the others looked for the car. Finally, a green Lexus arrived, right when the two came out of the Leaky Cauldron. The group boarded the car. Mrs. Weasley was in front, and Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were in the back. Their trunks were in the trunk of the car, and the animals were sitting with the teens in the back seat.

In no time, the car had arrived at King's Cross Station. The driver helped unload the trunks, then drove away. The group walked to the barrier.

"Now, all of you, behave this year." Mrs. Weasley pulled each one of them into a hug.

"Harry, why don't we go first, then the girls can follow?" Ron suggested.

"Sure." Harry and Ron leaned casually against the barrier with their trolleys, and in a moment, was standing at Platform 9¾. Hermione and Ginny appeared moments later, with Mrs. Weasley behind them.

"Have a good year, and remember, stay safe!" This she aimed directly at Ron and Harry.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione climbed aboard the train towards the back and looked for an empty compartment. Imagine their surprise when they opened one and saw Professor Lupin sleeping in it!

"I had no idea Lupin's back. Did you?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron shook his head.

"Why not just stay here, Harry?" Hermione asked. "We can talk with the professor around, I'm sure."

The three teens put their stuff down. Just then, the train whistle sounded, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron pressed against the window, waving at Mrs. Weasley until she was out of sight.

"Why do you think Lupin's back? I thought Figg was going to continue." Ron asked.

Harry's face tightened. Professor Figg was the same Mrs. Figg who had babysat him on every one of Dudley's birthdays. He had no idea she was a wizard, not until Fifth Year, when he saw her sitting at the High Table. Harry was always very aloof towards her.

"Professor Figg insisted that Professor Dumbledore give me the job, Ron."

"Professor Lupin!" Hermione squealed. "We didn't realize that you were awake!"

Lupin smiled wryly.

"I am now. And of course, the Potions Master will make me the Wolfsbane Potion every full moon, so I'll be safe."

Just then, someone barged into their compartment.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Potty, Weasel, and the Mudblood..."

Malfoy had spotted Professor Lupin. He backed away.

"What's wrong, Malfoy?" Harry asked. "Afraid of someone?"

"Of course not, Potter." Malfoy spat. "I just don't think werewolves are worthy of my presence."

"Why you slimy git!" Harry would have sprung at Malfoy if not for Ron and Hermione holding him back.

"Let it go, Harry," Hermione whispered.

"So, Potter, think you're going to be chosen? I certainly do. I would love to go against you. It'll prove how weak and pathetic the Boy Who Lived is," Malfoy drawled.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Ron yelled.

"My, you don't know! This is just like Fourth Year. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure Dumbledore will clear you of your ignorance. I'm surprised though. I thought Weasels were always supposed to know everything, seeing as how they like to grovel at powerful people's feet." And saying this, he left the compartment.

"That prat!" Ron spat. "I'll get him some day. I'll transfigure him into a white ferret again, just you watch."

Hermione turned towards Lupin.

"Professor Lupin, do you know what he's talking about?"

"As a matter of fact, I have a suspicion, but I won't tell you, since I'm pretty sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you after the Sorting."

"Please, Professor Lupin?" Hermione pleaded.

Lupin shook his head, his resolve set. The three teens slumped down in disappointment.

"Harry, you're going to have a very pleasant surprise this year. Why, I almost didn't believe it."

"Another secret? Can you please tell, Professor?" Harry asked.

"I'm sorry, Harry. But you'll know once you arrive at Hogwarts."

The four of them then immersed themselves in a discussion about the Dark Lord and events concerning him for the rest of the train trip.

***

Narcissa had driven the Malfoys' limo to King's Cross Station. She watched as Draco took his stuff out and put it on a trolley that she had wheeled by the limo. The two of them walked through the station, stopping at the barrier. They walked right towards it, and in a moment, was on Platform 9¾.

Draco went up to put his stuff in an empty compartment, then came back down to meet his mother.

"Behave this year, understand? But don't blow the secret. If you do, you know what will happen."

"Yes, Mother. I won't. And I will keep you updated on my situation."

"That's a good son." Narcissa ruffled her son's hair affectionately, then quickly stepped away. The train whistle blew. "You had best be boarding the train, Draco. The train's fixing to leave."

"Yes, Mother." Draco gave his mother a brief hug, then climbed onto the train. As the train sped away, Draco waved to his mother until she couldn't be seen anymore, then sat down, thinking hard.

Someone entered the compartment. Draco looked up.

"Draco? You don't look too well. Is Lucius treating you badly?" Pansy asked.

"Same as always. You know how it is, Pansy."

"Of course I do."

Draco's eyes narrowed.

"You won't tell, will you?"

"How can I, Draco? I'm your friend." Pansy sat down besides the blonde boy. Draco shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not doing anything, Draco!" Pansy huffed. "I know what you feel, and I respect your decision; don't think I'm trying to do anything!"

"I think I'll just go out and get some air, Pansy." And with that, Draco stepped out of his compartment and started walking towards the back of the train. He heard voices in a compartment and opened the door.

Draco was greeted with the Fabulous Trio. He started insulting them, then saw another presence in the compartment - Professor Lupin. Draco backed away. He didn't want the werewolf to take points away from Slytherin before the school year had even started. The blonde hated the man, hated the man for his prejudice against the Slytherins, hated him for what he did to his Godfather, how he betrayed him. Then Potter insulted him, he insulted Potter back, then an incident not unlike the one in Fourth Year occurred, making Draco feel very satisfied, yet also empty, for several reasons, but Draco couldn't let it show. He wasn't going to let Narcissa down.

Draco walked back into his compartment, which was now also occupied by Crabbe and Goyle, his two cronies. Draco looked at the two stupid hulks with irritation.

"Why don't you two go out in the hall and make sure no one comes in here?"

Crabbe and Goyle shuffled out of the compartment.

Draco shook his head.

"You must admit though, Draco, that they do have their uses." Pansy piped up.

"Of course they do, Pansy. But otherwise, they are gigantic walking boulders."

_They are smarter than they look, Draco_, Pansy thought.

"So, Pansy, think you'll be picked?"

"No. But I know you will."

"If anything slips, you better cover for me," Draco growled.

Pansy shrugged.

"Of course I will, Draco. Do you think I'll let them hurt you?"

_The girl still loves me. I must admit, she is a good friend, but she really needs to get over me._

The rest of the train ride was spent in silence for the two Slytherins.

***

Hermione nudged Harry.

"What is it now?"

"We're almost at Hogwarts. Don't you think we ought to change?"

"Totally forgot. Thanks for reminding us."

Harry quickly changed into his robes, and the other two teens did the same. As soon as they finished, the train stopped. The group left the train and stepped onto the platform of Hogsmeade station. Harry saw Hagrid standing down at the end of the platform.

"Hey, Hagrid!"

"Yer here, Harry! Firs' Years, gather righ' here!"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked with the rest of the crowd out of the train station, and the three climbed aboard one of the horseless carriages waiting outside. A few moments later, the horseless carriages rumbled towards Hogwarts Castle. They drove through the gates and up the sweeping drive, stopping in front of the stone steps leading to the front door. Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed out of the carriage and walked up the stone steps along with the rest of the students. They went through the door and found themselves in the entrance hall.

Following the crowd, the three entered the Great Hall. The Great Hall looked as magnificent as ever, with the golden plates and goblets on the tables, the candles floating above the tables, and the enchanted ceiling black, with numerous silver stars twinkling. Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked to the far side of the hall, taking seats at the Gryffindor table. A few moments later, the ghosts glided in through the walls, and Nearly Headless Nick sat down across from the three.

Harry scanned the High Table and noticed a new professor sitting by Lupin.

"Hermione, who's that by Lupin? And where's Snape?"

"Maybe Snape got killed and now he's replaced!" Ron said excitedly.

"Ron, you shouldn't be happy about someone dying, even if it's Snape!" Hermione told him.

Just then, the doors opened and as everyone turned to look, Professor McGonagall came in, with a long line of nervous-looking First Years walking behind her. She stopped at the High Table, and they arranged themselves in a line across the table, many fidgeting, terrified. Professor McGonagall left through a door to the side of the High Table, and a moment later, she returned, carrying a three-legged stool with an extremely old and dirty Wizard's hat.

Some of the First Years looked at it with relief. As everyone in the hall stared at the hat, a long tear near the brim opened, and the hat began to sing.

"I may be old and dirty,

But I'm smarter than you think,

I have a mind that's sturdy,

And I'm the four Founders' link.

I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,

Come and try me on,

I'll sneak around your mind like a cat,

And tell you where you belong!

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where reside the noble and brave,

The most couragest of the four,

The founder that's my fav.

Or Slytherin might be the house for you,

Where the ambitious all gather,

These people always take a cue,

And step up on the ladder.

For you, maybe Ravenclaw's the best,

The cleverest and smartest all group there.

If you have high scores on your tests,

Then off to Ravenclaw, I dare.

And Hufflepuff, last but not least,

Where you might find the loyal,

These people work like beasts,

They earn things by toil.

So First Years, put me on,

And I'll take a peek in your mind,

I'll see where you belong,

Where resides the rest of your kind!"

The Great Hall burst into applause.

"How does the Sorting Hat think up of all the rhymes?" Harry asked Hermione. She shrugged in return.

Professor McGonagall now stood by the Sorting Hat and took out a long scroll of parchment. She unrolled it and held it up in front of her.

"When I call your name, put the Sorting Hat on and sit on the stool. When the Sorting Hat decides your placement, you will go and sit with your House.

Ablar, Stan!"

A small boy walked towards the stool, put the Sorting Hat, and prepared to sit down when the Sorting Hall screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

The boy walked over to the other side of the hall, where the Slytherins sat. Harry could see Malfoy clapping. On either side of him sat Crabbe and Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson across from him. The usual Slytherin group.

"Adair, Kyle!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

This continued on for some time, while small boys and girls with different emotions on their faces, some with nervousness, some fear, and some relief, walked to the stool and put on the Sorting Hat. Finally, with "Zingler, Rayla!" who became a Ravenclaw, the sorting ended. Professor McGonagall took the stool and the hat away, and Dumbledore stood up.

"I would like to welcome all of you to another year at Hogwarts. I shall let all of you eat before I announce the news for this year."

Food appeared on the tables. Harry, Ron, and Hermione eagerly tucked in. Nearly Headless Nick just looked at them sadly. Hermione had toned down her S.P.E.W. campaign in Sixth Year and was now eating quite normally.

After everyone had finished, and the food had vanished off the tables, Dumbledore stood up again.

"There are several things for me to announce this year.

First, for those of you who have noticed that Professor Snape is missing, I would like to say that he died fighting against Voldemort. I would like all of you to respect his memory, for even though he is not the most pleasant person around, he did die fighting for the side of light, and thus, I honor him." Dumbledore held his goblet up in front of him and drank from the goblet. Every one in the Great Hall stood up and imitated Dumbledore, then sat back down.

"On a happier note, I would like to welcome Professor Lupin back to our staff. He will once again be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. And please welcome our new Potions Master, Professor Kyon."

Harry looked closely at the new professor. Kyon reminded him of someone, but who? It certainly didn't look like anyone he knew, since he didn't know anyone with brown hair and blue eyes. He saw Lupin talking to the new Potions Master and made a mental note to ask Professor Lupin about Professor Kyon.

"Also, I would like to remind all students that the Forbidden Forest is out-of-bounds, and anyone caught in the Forest will be severely punished. Also, no magic is allowed to be used between classes in the corridors. Mistletoe Spread has been added to the list of items forbidden in the castle. And the Inter-House Quidditch Cup is canceled this year."

"What!" Harry exclaimed. He had been Team Captain since the previous year, and he was shocked. There would be no Quidditch for him during his last year at Hogwarts? Many other people were also muttering amongst themselves. Dumbledore waited until the students talked themselves into silence, then resumed talking.

"But I'm proud to say, it's time again for the Founders' Pride!"

Almost all the students looked at Dumbledore in confusion. Hermione was the only one who didn't. She smiled.

"It's about time."

"I see all of you looking confused. Well then, I'll tell you what the Founders' Pride is. The Founders' Pride is a contest that is held at Hogwarts every seven years between the Four Houses. The Four Founders originally started this contest as a means to see which House is the best. The champion that wins brings much glory to his House, himself, and his Founder. There will be four contests throughout the year, each one testing an attribute one of the Founders valued. The four champions will be exempted from the end of year exams. Mr. Filch, if you please."

Filch carried a small chest up to the center of the table and handed it to Dumbledore. Dumbledore opened it and took out a wineglass. Only it wasn't any ordinary wineglass. This was made of gold, with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and onyx studded all over it. Inside the wineglass, there was a silvery substance inside.

"The substance inside this wineglass contains a bit of each Founder's mind. Each Founder will choose for him or herself the champion for his or her House. By exposing this substance, each Founder is able to feel who is in their House and who would be best suited for the contests. In one week, the Founders will choose. Good luck to all of you. 

Now, I suggest for all of you to retire, for you do have classes tomorrow. Prefects, show the First Years their dorms, and the rest, ask a Prefect for the password. That is all from me for now. Good night."

"So that's what Malfoy was talking about!" exclaimed Ron. "Think you'll be chosen, Harry?"

"I'd rather not, after the Tri-Wizard Tournament in Fourth Year."

"But this one isn't by choice," Hermione reminded Harry.

Harry turned to look at her and saw the Head Girl badge on her robes.

"Hermione, why didn't you tell us that you're Head Girl?"

"Well, I thought the two of you would have guessed. I'm so glad I'm getting my own bed and bathroom this year."

"Lucky," Ron muttered.

Hermione tugged at the two boys.

"Let's go, we're the only ones left now!"

They followed her up to Gryffindor Tower, then remembered that neither of them knew the password.

"Er, Hermione? We don't know the password, and there sure isn't a Prefect here to help us," Harry said.

"Don't worry, I know. The password is _canis_." Hermione told the password to the Fat Lady, who immediately swung open and let them into the Gryffindor common room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione parted, Harry and Ron walking up the stairs to the boys' dorms, and Hermione going to her own room.

The two boys walked into the Seventh Year's dorms, and Harry, tired from the whole day, went to his bed, crawled in, and instantly fell asleep. 

____________________________________________

Thanks to:

Merlin's Quill

ThePhoenix

And all readers!!

Edited 10/22/02


	3. Chapter 3: Beginning of Destiny

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 3

Beginning of Destiny

When Harry entered the Great Hall, he found Ron and Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor Table, eating. He took a seat by them. A moment later, there was a rushing overhead, and the owls flew in, circling, diving, dodging, looking for their owners. He could see Malfoy's eagle owl sitting on Malfoy's shoulder. Probably another bag of sweets.

A few moments later, Professor McGonagall swept by them, handing out course schedules. Harry glanced at his schedule.

"We have Trelawny right after breakfast? It's just like Third Year!"

"You should have dropped the course like I did. I keep telling you two, but you won't listen! Arithmancy is so much funner. And you actually learn something."

After breakfast, Ron, Harry, and Hermione parted ways, Hermione heading for Arithmancy while Ron and Harry went to North Tower for Divination. They walked down hallways, up staircases, finally walking up the spiral staircase that led to Divination. The trapdoor was already open, and the two boys climbed up the silver ladder.

They were in a stifling hot room, the smell of perfume wafting around the students. The fire was burning brightly and steadily in the fireplace, flames crackling as they ate up the logs underneath them. Harry and Ron, as usual, took their seats around a round table. Parvati and Lavender were seated on poufs, eyes scanning the room for a sign of their idol.

Parvati and Lavender did not have long to wait, for soon, Professor Trelawny entered the room. Her eyes scanned the room, and in her misty voice, she said, "Welcome to another year, class. This year, you will learn about prophecies and dreams. Our subconscious knows many things that our conscious doesn't. I will help each of you tap into your inner mystical energy, and mayhap each of you will become a Seer, like me.

Seeing is the hardest branch of Divination, and not many are able to master it. I would like each of you to try your best. We shall start today by discussing the meanings behind objects in dreams. Turn to page four of your new book."

For the rest of the class, Professor Trelawny discussed the potency and meanings of dreams, and how they can be used in predicting the future. Parvati and Lavender hung on to her every word. Harry and Ron had looked at each other incredulously, but after a while, even Ron became absorbed, for she had started talking about something that constantly appeared in his dreams. After the class, Ron was talking to Harry excitedly about the meanings of some things. Harry nodded every once in a while, but his mind was elsewhere.

The boys met up with Hermione in the Gryffindor common room. Ron stopped babbling as soon as he saw Hermione poring over her Arithmancy book.

"So what do we have next?"

Hermione looked up.

"Care of Magical Creatures is next. We still have it with the Slytherins. After lunch, we have Double Potions with the Slytherins, too."

Harry sighed. They had had Double Potions with the Slytherins ever since First Year. Harry had hoped and hoped that one year, they could have Double Potions with another house, but it would just never happen. And now, two classes in one day with the Slytherins. This was definitely not a coincidence. Someone had a very cruel mind.

***

After break, the Gryffindors went out of the castle and down to Hagrid's hut. The Slytherins were already clustered around Hagrid's hut, waiting for the half-giant to start class. Harry did notice that Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson weren't in the group, but were aside, whispering. Harry started to edge near them in hopes of discovering Malfoy's secret, but just then, Hagrid came out of the hut.

"Got a serprise fer yer today!" he said merrily. "Jest foller' me!"

The class followed Hagrid, many with apprehension. They hadn't forgotten that term in Fourth Year when they had to take care of Blast- Ended Skrewts. But when the class rounded Hagrid's hut, many gasped with surprise.

A group of centaurs were standing patiently, swishing their tails and talking to each other. Harry instantly recognized Firenze, the centaur that had saved him in First Year. He also recognized Bane and Ronan. Harry was surprised. He didn't think that Bane would have agreed to letting students study him. Hagrid must have spent a lot of time convincing the black-haired centaur.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Hagrid.

"We'll be studying centaurs the nex' few weeks. Centaurs 'ave been known since the time of Ancient Greeks and Romans. They are, as yer see, 'alf human and 'alf horse. Centaurs are stargazers and can predict the future really well. They usually don' let others know so the future won' be changed. Today, yeh'll be interactin' with them. Next lesson, we'll learn more about 'em."

"What is it with predictions today?" Ron muttered to Harry. Harry shrugged.

"Now, just find yerself a centaur, and the rest's up to yeh!"

The class walked toward the centaurs, each one choosing a different one. Harry walked to Firenze.

"How have you been, Harry Potter? I am glad that we centaurs read the stars wrong six years ago."

"Thank you for helping me, Firenze. Without you, I might not have figured it all out."

Firenze nodded.

"I was glad to help, Harry Potter. If I had not helped, the darkness in the Forest might not have been destroyed. But you do know what is happening now, do you not?"

"Yes. The darkness is rerising."

"We have read much in the stars, Harry Potter. I cannot tell you what we have seen, for as Bane said, we have sworn ourselves to not cross the heavens. But I shall tell you this, Harry Potter. Many in this school and out are not who they seem. You yourself may not be who you are."

"Why won't you tell me what it means?" Harry asked, frustrated.

"I cannot tell you anymore, Harry Potter. I will not reveal the secrets of the stars to any one. However, I do want you to defeat the darkness, and so, I have given you a clue. May you find your way and achieve what needs to be done."

"Have you seen anything concerning the Founders' Pride?"

Firenze nodded.

"However, that is also not in my place to tell you. Harry Potter, I ask you to steer the subject away from the future. You know I cannot tell you what will happen. Why try futile attempts?"

Harry sighed. If only he could find out about the future. Then he would know what to do, and maybe change it somehow. If only in Third Year...But they couldn't risk it, and now, it was too late to change the past.

"Harry Potter, the future is not meant to known. Even if it is, it is not meant to be changed."

Just then, Hagrid called the class back. Many parted with their centaurs reluctantly.

"Farewell, Harry Potter. Take care."

"Bye, Firenze."

***

Lunch came and went, and before Harry knew it, it was time for Double Potions with the Slytherins. Double Potions was everyone's least favorite subject, but Harry's especially. Stuck in the dungeons for an hour with the Slytherins and Snape. Snape had hated his father and hated him just as much. And then, he was always partnered up with Malfoy, who made him do all the work.

But Snape was gone. The new Potions Master was Kyon. But who knew what Kyon would be like? Kyon was most likely Slytherin's new Head of House, and he might favor his own House above the others.

The Gryffindors trudged down to the dungeons, many discussing what Kyon would be like. Kyon couldn't be any worse than Snape, so many people contented themselves with a new, more handsome, but just as cruel Snape as their new Potions Master.

The dungeon door was already open, so the Gryffindors walked into their classroom, taking their usual seats. Moments later, the Slytherins entered, loud and boisterous. No doubt Kyon would favor them just as Snape did.

As soon as the Slytherins sat down, Kyon walked in, closing the dungeon door behind him. He walked to the front of the room and scanned them all, eyes resting on Harry for a brief second.

"I'm Professor Kyon, as all of you well know, and your new Potions Master. Be warned, I shall not tolerate any misbehavior. Today, you will be making a Color-Changing Potion. The ingredients are on the board, and before class ends, I will come around to test each of your potions. This is to be done individually, so I can appraise your abilities and see who would be the best partner for each of you."

Most of the class was spent making the potion. Fifteen minutes before the end of class, he swept around, testing the potion on pieces of parchment.

"Fine work, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor." Hermione's potion had worked perfectly, changing the color of the parchment to a fiery orange.

When Neville's turn came, his potion didn't change the color of the parchment. Instead, it burned the parchment right through and started burning the desk, too. Kyon sighed.

"Mr. Longbottom, from now on you will be working with Miss Granger."

"How coincidental. A Squib and a Mudblood. They were meant for each other, eh? At least they won't be sliming up our bloodlines any longer."

Kyon turned around.

"Ten points off Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy, and if I ever hear you talk like that again, you'll regret it."

In his mind, Draco sighed. This was getting tiring, insulting people that he would rather not insult. But he had to keep up his Slytherin appearance, otherwise, his Yearmates would become suspicious.

Kyon continued pairing people off, sometimes Slytherins with Gryffindors. Surprisingly, Crabbe and Goyle's potions had worked, both turning the parchment into a murky brown color, so they became partners. Pansy had been partnered with Ron, their potions turning their parchments a bright yellow. Finally, there were only two people left, and Harry's heart sank when he knew what was about to follow.

He was again, partnered with Malfoy. Both of their potions had transformed their parchments into a deep, dark crimson, so he was stuck with his archrival for another year.

Before class ended, Kyon had asked Harry to stay behind. As Hermione and Ron walked out, Ron muttering about being paired with a pug in girl's clothing, Harry sat where he was, waiting apprehensively. When the last student walked out and shut the door, Kyon turned to look at Harry.

"Harry, are you okay? How have you been? Have those Muggles been treating you right?"

This onslaught of concern was confusing Harry.

"Er...I'm fine, Professor."

Kyon shook his head.

"Can't you tell who I am, Harry?"

Harry shook his head.

"I've never seen you before, Professor. Though I must say, you do look familiar."

Kyon took out his wand and muttered a spell, pointing the wand at himself. A moment later, someone else stood in his place.

"Sirius?" Harry was overjoyed. He stood up and ran to hug his godfather.

"It's been so long since I've seen you, Harry."

"Does Professor Lupin know about this?"

"Of course. You think he doesn't?"

Sirius let go and pointed his wand at himself again, muttering another spell. Now Professor Kyon stood in his place.

"A very nice and strong Illusioning Charm, I must say. Dumbledore's idea, of course. It's so nice to be back here, watching over you, Harry. Even if I have to take Snape's place." He wrinkled his nose. "I'll see you soon. By the way, I know you're wondering why I paired you off with Malfoy. I wouldn't have, except that the resulting color represents something about one's personality. And the two of you had the same color. I know you won't be scared of him, unlike Longbottom. You could keep an eye on him, you know."

"Whatever." Harry warily shook his head. "I'll see you later, I gotta go tell this to Ron and Hermione!"

Harry ran from the dungeons to Gryffindor Tower, bursting with the good news.

***

Draco knew what it meant, when his parchment turned the same color as Potter's. There was something about them, something that was the same between them. He still remembered Potter's face when the boy realized that Draco was going to be his partner again.

_Might as well write to Mother about this_, Draco thought. The Slytherin rummaged in his trunk, hand closing around the small book. He took out his quill and dipped it in his special silver ink, then started writing to Narcissa about what had happened in Potions.

***

The rest of the week, the Gryffindors discovered, to their horror, that all their Doubles class had been paired with Slytherin. Ron was furious about this and threatened to go to Dumbledore about it in his rage. Many other Gryffindors felt the same. It was bad enough that they already had so many classes with Slytherin, but with the added classes, it would be intolerable.

Friday came quickly enough for Harry, even with the new extra time he spent with the Slytherins. The Gryffindors had Defense Against the Dark Arts on Fridays, right after Lunch. They walked into the classroom, taking their seats, eager to start lessons, memories of Third Year running through many minds.

Moments later, Lupin entered the classroom. He was still wearing tattered robes, hair streaked with gray, looking tired and older than he was.

"I'm glad to be back at Hogwarts. This year, you will be learning how to defend yourselves against Death Eaters. Today, we'll be learning about the Marionette Curse. Does anyone know what this curse does?"

Hermione raised her hand in the air, as always.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"The Marionette Curse controls a person's motor functions. It is not as strong as the Imperius Curse, which also controls what you speak."

"Good job, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor. Like the Imperius Curse, only a person with a strong mind can resist this curse. I'll be casting this upon each of you. Line up right here."

The Gryffindors all queued in the middle of the room, and with one sweep of his wand, the desks all lined up along the walls. Seamus was first in line, and he looked very nervous.

"_Motuscontra_!"

Seamus began spinning around the room in circles, and he didn't stop until Lupin stopped the curse. Neville cartwheeled across the room and back, and when the curse was lifted, he slumped down, body aching like hell. Next was Ron, who marched around the room, swinging his arms and legs, looking like a total fool.

After Ron, it was Harry's turn. The curse was cast on him, and Harry felt as if a mist had come between him and his surroundings. Everything was vague, surreal. It was like looking at things from above, not having to ever decide. He was just there, exisisting for no reason. And then Harry felt an impulse to lie down on the floor and roll around. And he was quite happy to oblige.

But then a voice at the back of his head spoke up.

"Really stupid to roll like a pig on the floor, you know."

Harry felt the impulse grow stronger, and was about to obey it, but the voice spoke again.

"Doing this will be foolish, and everyone's going to laugh at you."

This time, the impulse was overpowering, filling Harry's mind. But the voice refused to give up.

"I won't make a fool of myself!" And with this, Harry broke the curse. He was back in the classroom. Lupin smiled and patted him on the back.

"Congratulations, Harry. Ten points to Gryffindor."

***

Sunday arrived in a blur. Everyone had been discussing about who would be picked, and there was a huge betting pool on Harry. Harry found that he couldn't find a single moment's peace. He spent his time in the library with Hermione, writing an essay about the beginning of Hogwarts for History of Magic.

Dinner came all too quick. The students walked into Great Hall, chattering about who would be picked. Almost everyone had already decided on Harry for Gryffindor. There were rumors about who the Founders might pick for the other houses. Harry had even heard one about Goyle possibly being picked, which he thought that Goyle had probably started himself.

The wineglass was sitting on the High Table, in front of Dumbledore. The enchanted ceiling was black, dotted with many stars and a quarter moon. The jewels caught the light from the stars and moon and sparkled, blinding many an eye. The wineglass seemed to be glowing with an ethereal light, radiating splendor.

Delicious food appeared on the tables, roast beef, roast chicken, steak, bacon, anything and everything imaginable. Ron was loading some of everything onto his plate, but Harry just sat there. He had no appetite at all. He had a feeling that he was going to be picked, and for once, Harry wondered if he could have a normal year. Ron tried to convince Harry to eat something but gave up after a while and continued eating.

After everyone was finished, Dumbledore stood up.

"I believe it's time for the Founders to make their decision. If you're chosen, please go through the door behind this table and await further instructions there."

The silvery substance inside the wineglass started to swirl, then turned yellow. Black letters started appearing. Dumbledore waited until the letters stopped appearing, then announced,

"Hufflepuff's champion will be Susan Bones!"

The Hufflepuffs clapped as Susan Bones stood up and made her way down their table, walking through the door.

Now, the yellow turned into blue, and bronze letters appeared swiftly.

"Terry Boot is Ravenclaw's champion!"

Whistles and cheers resounded from the Ravenclaw table as Terry Boot also walked down the table and through the door. Now there was only Gryffindor and Slytherin left.

A green replaced the yellow, and silver letters danced across the green.

"Slytherin has chosen Draco Malfoy!"

Ron made a gagging motion. All the Slytherins had stood up and was stomping their feet on the ground as Malfoy regally left his seat and walked slowly down the Slytherin table, finally going through the door.

The Gryffindors waited with anitcipation. They could almost hear Dumbledore calling out Harry's name. Seconds passed by, but they seemed like minutes for the Gryffindors.

A royal red enveloped the green, and gold letters made their way to the top of the wineglass.

"For Gryffindor, Harry Potter!"

Harry could hear everyone at their table standing up and applauding, cheering him on. He morosely stood up from his seat and walked down the length of the Gryffindor table, being patted on his back by his Housemates as he walked by them. He followed the other three champions and entered the room behind the High Table.

___________________________

Thanks to:

Prophetess of Hearts

And all readers!

Edited 10/22/02


	4. Chapter 4: Tensions Surmount

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 4

Tensions Surmount

When Harry entered the room, two of the other champions looked at him, then resumed what they had been doing. Violet winked at him from her picture. He remembered this room from Fourth Year, where he had been allowed to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament with Krum, Fleur, and Cedric.

Susan was pacing back and forth across the room, lost in thought, every now and then looking at one of the other champions. Terry was staring into space, a misty look in his eyes. He stood against the wall by the door, lost in his head. Harry wondered if he had blinked even once ever since he had entered the room. Malfoy was leaning against the fireplace. The fire leapt up every now and then, burning merrily. The trademark smirk was in place, and he stared at Harry. Harry, unnerved, let his gaze roam elsewhere.

After severmal moments of waiting, Dumbledore entered the room, followed by McGonagall, Kyon, Flitwick, and Sprout, the Heads of Houses. Dumbledore beamed at them.

"Congratulations for being chosen, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Boot, and Miss Bones. I must tell you that you cannot quit this competition. All of you will be exempt from end of year exams. The first contest will be on October 25. You may not ask for help from anyone. Everything must be done alone. Good luck to each of you, and I suggest returning to your Houses. No doubt a party is underway in each House."

"Professor Dumbledore, sir, may I ask who will be judging us?" Terry asked.

"Yes, of course. Myself, and these four professors will be judging you. Anything else?" Taking the silence as a negative, Dumbledore strode out of the room.

Harry could see Violet running through the portraits, no doubt going to see the Fat Lady. He exited the room along with the other champions and professors, and walked upstairs, through tapestries, up staircases, finally reaching Gryffindor Tower.

Violet was talking to the Fat Lady, no doubt about what had transpired in the room. She looked at Harry out of the picture.

"Who's been chosen as a champion for the second time?"

Harry ignored her and told the Fat Lady the password. The portriat swung open and many pairs of hands pulled Harry into the common room. A party was indeed underway, and there was food everywhere. Ever since Fred and George left Hogwarts, Ron had taken their place, helping them advertise their products and stealing food from the kitchens.

Ron had been standing next to the door, and he grinned at Harry.

"I'm rich from betting on you!" he told Harry excitedly. Harry managed to smile, though that was the last thing he wanted to do. This brought back too many painful memories of Fourth Year. He tried to break through the crowd in the direction of the dorms, but the Gryffindors wouldn't let him have his peace. They kept trying to talk to him, or push food into his hands.

Finally, after half an hour of this, Harry had made his way to the edge of the crowd. The Creevy brothers had taken him the longest to escape, but he was finally free to go upstairs and rest. Harry made his way up the stairs warily and after what seemed like ages, entered the Seventh Years' dorm. He entered and went straight to bed.

***

When Draco entered the Slytherin common room, there was indeed a party underway, which didn't happen too often, since the Slytherins were usually suspicious of each other and tended not to interact with each other. There had been several parties during the years Draco had been there, though. Once in Second Year, on Halloween, when the Chamber of Secrets was reopened and whatever inside set loose. And of course, Fourth Year, the day of the Third Task, when Cedric Diggory was killed and the Dark Lord was resurrected with Harry Potter's help. The House had agreed that it was a shame that Potter wasn't killed. The Slytherins were certain that they would win the Founders' Pride, especially with Draco as their champion, which was why they had held a party. Pansy had been waiting by the door, and she grabbed him as soon as he came in.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

Pansy frowned.

"I'm just trying to congratulate you. You don't have to think that I'm trying to seduce you with every gesture."

"Not now, understand? And get them out of the way." He hissed, then started towards the dorms. No way dared to stop him, since Draco was respected and feared by almost all the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle dared not bother him while he was in a bad mood. Even Pansy took care to steer herself out of his way at times like these. The blonde boy made his way into the dorm without any problems, then settled himself on his bed.

Draco opened his trunk and took out the book Narcissa gave him. There was now blue ink in the book.

_Watch him closely, but don't slip. Tell me about anything unusual._

Draco picked up his quill, dipped it in his silver ink, and started writing.

_The champions for the Founders' Pride have just been chosen. Potter was chosen for Gryffindor. I was chosen for Slytherin. The first contest is on October twenty-fifth._

Seconds later, blue ink sprawled across his book. It seemed that Narcissa had been looking at the book at the same time.

_You know what to do. Good luck._

Draco closed the book furiously and threw it in his trunk, then shut his trunk with a loud bang. Sometimes, his mother was so cold, so distant. As if she was a stranger. Why?

***

Remus Lupin was standing in Dumbledore's office, along with Flora Sprout.

"Don't you think it's too dangerous to hold this? Especially with Voldemort's rerise to power?" Remus asked.

"The Founders' Pride has never been canceled. It's a school tradition, and I see no reason to stop it. Harry will be safe here."

"Are you sure Severus is dead?"

"Yes, Remus." Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "You know how the Dark Lord acts towards traitors."

"But what about the Elemental Metal? Who will replace Severus?" Remus's voice shook.

"I'm sure Victoria would have contacted us if she needed help. You know what she is like. She'll contact us when she's ready, possibly through Narcissa or even Draco. I'm sorry about Severus, Remus, I truly am."

***

Tension between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors steadily rose over the next week. Doubles classes with the Slytherins were torture for the Gryffindors. Gryffindors and Slytherins couldn't pass by each other in the halls without some sort of fight starting, magical or physical. Harry was always surrounded by a group of Gryffindors so that he wouldn't be knocked out of action. The same thing was happening to Malfoy. Harry shuddered to think what would happen if a Slytherin caught him alone. Especially if it was Malfoy. But he might be able to hurt Malfoy, and then both of them would be stuck in the Infirmary. Harry couldn't bear to think what would happen if he and Malfoy were both out of action, and only Terry and Susan would be competing in the first contest.

Professor McGonagall was quite irritated by all this, and she could hardly travel anywhere without having to take points off of Slytherin and Gryffindor. The fighting was steadily becoming worse and worse. The Hospital Wing was filling up with the two rivaling houses, and some old unused classrooms had been needed for all the extra patients.

The Slytherins were plotting every night in their dungeon common room for a way to strike down the Gryffindors, or at least, humiliate them. The Gryffindors were doing the exact same thing in their common room. Ron kept persuading Fred and George to come up with a new joke item that they could try on the Slytherins.

In the third week of September, when Draco entered the dungeon common room after sneaking around Hogwarts in his Merging Cloak, Blaise Zabini beckoned the blonde towards a large group that had gathered in the middle of the room.

"We've found it!" he hissed.

"What?" Draco asked, confused.

"What?! Pansy, tell him."

"Draco, we've found the perfect spell!" Pansy held out a book to him, and the grey eyes quickly scanned the page. He nodded.

"Now we'll just have to wait until all the Gryffindors are out of the Hospital Wing," Blaise announced, a sinister grin on his face.

____________________________________

Thanks to:

Prophetess of Hearts

Oceana

Draco Malfoy-N-Harry Potter

And all readers!


	5. Chapter 5: The Slytherins' Prank

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 5

The Slytherins' Prank

Ever since Blaise found the spell, the attacks on the Gryffindors had stopped, and even if a Gryffindor tried to pick a fight, the Slytherin in question used whatever means necessary to avoid it, as long as the Gryffindor wasn't harmed seriously enough to go to the Hospital Wing.

The Slytherins sent a different person up to the Hospital Wing every day to check to see if any more Gryffindors were still stuck in there under the pretense of visiting friends. Every day, the report was more and more Gryffindors walking out of the Hospital Wing. But before all the Gryffindors had left, the Slytherins had all returned to full health, so now, Slytherins had to injure themselves as to have an excuse to visit the Hospital Wing.

Thus, it was a relief to the Slytherins, when a week later, all the Gryffindors had left the Hospital Wing. It was time to cast the spell on the Gryffindors. And Draco Malfoy would be the perfect person for the job.

***

On Sunday, Draco sat at the Slytherin table, impatiently waiting for dinner to end. The joke was to be pulled today, and Draco would rather be finished with it already. Sure, it was funny, but if he was caught, there was going to be serious consequences.

The food on the golden plates disappeared, and the students drifted out of the Great Hall. Draco spotted the Golden Trio leaving the Gryffindor Table, and he quickly stood up, eyes not leaving the Gryffindors. The blonde followed them at a distance, walking up staircases, going through tapestries, until finally, he arrived in front of a portrait of a fat lady in a pink gown. The portrait opened; he spotted Potter, Weasley, and Granger walking into the opening that had been concealed by the painting and the portrait slamming shut. Well, at least he knew where the Gryffindor dorms were now.

Draco walked back down to the Slytherin common room. He told the dungeon wall the password and walked inside, almost bumping into Blaise.

"So have you done it yet?"

"Of course not, you fool."

"Then why are you still here?"

"You don't think I'm going to walk into the Gryffindor common room without some kind of cover, do you?"

Blaise let Draco pass. The blonde walked into the Seventh Years' dorms and went straight to his trunk, taking out the Merging Cloak at the very bottom. Moments later, he had exited the Slytherin common room without anyone noticing.

The Slytherin made his way back up to the painting of the fat lady. He waited by the picture, hoping that a Gryffindor would arrive soon and give the password.

A few moments later, Longbottom arrived. Draco cursed his luck. Of all people, it had to be the nitwit Longbottom, who couldn't remember anything, even if his life depended on it.

Draco watched as Longbottom walked up to the portrait and stopped next to him. However, for once, the Gryffindor remembered the password. He gave the password ("pride") to the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open, and Longbottom climbed into the Gryffindor common room.

While Neville was climbing into the common room, Draco slipped past him and into the Gryffindor common room. He slipped behind one of the armchairs behind the fireplace.

Draco stayed behind the chair the whole time he was waiting for the Gryffindors to go to bed. Everytime he thought everyone was in bed, someone came into the common room. The Slytherin took no notice of his surroundings, which was so very different from the Slytherin common room.

Finally, at midnight, Potter, Granger, and Weasel left the common room. Draco had been there for more than four hours. The blonde left his hiding place and stood in the center of the common room. Not a sound drifted down from the dormitories. Draco breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally cast his spell. And the spell Blaise found, when said with the proper words, could spread through air and will only stop if it hits a solid surface and can't slip around it or has been spreading for three hours.

The Slytherin walked to the door and opened it. He slipped through and closed the door until there was only a tiny crack left, taking care not to wake the sleeping Fat Lady. Draco slipped his wand through the crack and said the spell.

A stream of silver light shot from his wand. The light hit the wall and split into two beams of silver light. Draco quickly closed the door to prevent the spell from exiting Gryffindor Tower. The Slytherin drew his Cloak tighter around himself and left for the dungeons.

***

The next morning, as Harry woke, he felt as if something wasn't right. The Gryffindor drew his curtains back, and put on his glasses, to see Ron doing the same thing. He was just about to greet Ron when he realized that something definitely wasn't right.

Harry looked closely at Ron. The sight that met him was horrifying. Ron had grown green scales overnight, and instead of hair on top of his head, there were slithering snakes, swinging their heads here and there. As Ron turned towards Harry with a grin on his face, the grin faded, and he stared at Harry in a most unflattering way.

"Blimey! I bet the slimy Slytherins did this to us!" Ron said, or at least he tried to. Instead, it came out as,

"Blimey! I bet the cool Slytherins didn't do this to us stupid Gryffindors!"

Harry looked at Ron disbelievingly.

"What is it with you, Ron? How come you're complimenting the slimy gits?"

Only the question came out as,

"What is it with you, Weasel? How come you're complimenting the unbelievably great Slytherins?"

Harry looked at Ron horrified, and they realized that they couldn't say anything bad about the Slytherins or say anything good about the Gryffindors.

As the other boys woke up, chaos ensued. The other Gryffindor boys stood and pointed at each other, panic written on their faces.

Harry and Ron escaped to the common room, only to find pandemonium. There were girls screaming, boys fighting, and in the midst of all this, Hermione was trying to calm everyone. When she saw Harry and Ron come in, she handed a slip of paper to them.

__

Harry, Ron, I've realized that the speech alteration doesn't work on writing. I have another note already written for Professor McGonagall, and since I can't leave, I need you two to take it to her for me. Bring your invisibility cloak. 

Hermione

"Got it, Herm."

Harry and Ron hurried back to their dorm. Harry opened his trunk and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak.

"I don't think it could cover the two of us, with those on our heads."

Ron nodded. In less than a minute, Harry was on his way to McGonagall, missing Draco Malfoy by mere milimeters.

***

Early in the morning, Draco had taken his Merging Cloak and gone up to Gryffindor Tower. As he stood in front of the portrait, wondering how to wake up the Fat Lady, the portrait opened from the inside. Draco climbed in and looked at the sight about him.

Chaos had ensued. Granger was trying to calm the hysterical girls down and pull apart the fighting boys. Prefects were helping her, but their efforts had almost no effect on the others. Draco smiled, satisfied. The Gryffindors deserved this. He exited the common room and went back to his own common room, where he told his Housemates the gleeful news.

***

Harry stopped in front of McGonagall's office. The Gryffindor knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Professor McGonagall's stern voice.

Harry took off his Invisibility Cloak, disguised it with a spell, and entered the office.

"Potter, you should be in the Hospital Wing instead of here!"

"Professor, the whole House is like this. Hermione wrote a note." Harry handed the note to McGonagall.

The Head of Gryffindor House read it quickly and then left wordlessly, with Harry following close behind her.

***

Chaos greeted McGonagall and Harry as they entered the common room.

"Now what is the matter here? Granger, I thought things would have been under control by now."

The noise died down, and everyone stared at their Head of House.

Neville hesitantly raised his hand; it strayed too close to the snakes and one of them bit his palm. His plam turned a nasty shade of purple just as McGonagall noticed him.

"Longbottom, what have you done now?"

"Professor, I-I was just raising my hand, and it strayed too close to the snakes on my head."

"Longbottom, off to the Hospital Wing with you. Help him, Miss Weasley. Classes are canceled for as long as you remain like this. I will be speaking to the Headmaster about this. Granger, come to my office."

Hermione followed Professor McGonagall out the common room. Neville's arm had started turning a neon green. Ginny, who had been going out with Neville since Fifth Year (she never got over Harry completely), helped him out of the common room, being careful to avoid the snakes on his head.

***

"What is it, Professor?"

Professor McGonagall scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Hermione.

"This is permission for you to look in the Restricted Sections of the Library. I want that curse removed as soon as possible."

***

"Albus, I have never seen anything like this ever since my first Founders' Pride! Never have such pranks been played! What are you going to do about the Slytherins?"

"Minerva, I understand your concern, but it is not in my power to do anything to the Slytherins. You don't have any evidence against them."

"No evidence?! It's obvious they did it! Only Slytherins would do something like this! After all, the children have snakes on their heads! And they've grown green scales!" Professor McGonagall's lips were so thin that they were about to disappear, her face had turned red, and fists clenched by her side.

"But we don't know which Slytherins did it, Minerva. You don't expect me to punish the whole House, do you?" Albus Dumbledore asked reasonably.

"It's definitely Draco Malfoy and his gang! You know what his father's like, Albus. I wouldn't put anything past them."

"But there's still no solid evidence, Minerva."

"But Albus..."

Albus Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. It would take a long time to convince Minerva to see things his way. Minerva was actually very sensible, but when she became angry, it took some time for her to cool down. It was going to be a very long day.

***

Hermione searched through the library. How was she supposed to find the countercurse if she didn't even know what the curse was in the first place? So far, she had found nothing in the books that resembled anything like the spell the Gryffindors had been hit with.

There was, of course, Professor McGongall's permission slip, and there was a good chance the Slytherins had used Dark Magic. Worth a try anyway, seeing that nothing in the White Magic books was helping the situation.

***

Two very long and embarassing days later, during which the rest of the school had learned of the Gryffindors' plight, Hermione came bouncing up to Harry and Ron after dinner with a book.

"I've found the curse that they hit us with! But the only way to counter it is to make a potion with many ingredients that's probably in Snuffles's stores."

"Let's go right now. I'm tired of looking like a Slytherin," Ron replied.

The three walked out of the common room, which no one except Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Harry had done ever since the curse to save themselves the embarassment. Meals had been brought up to the common room for the past two days. As they walked, people stopped in the corridors and halls and stared at them, openly pointing , nudging, and whispering.

"Let's hurry," muttered Harry.

They managed to reach the dungeons without trouble. The three quickly entered the Potions classroom and knocked on Kyon's office door.

Kyon opened the door and poked his head out.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, come in!"

The three quickly entered, and Kyon locked the door behind them.

"What do you need?"

"Sirius, we need some potion ingredients to get rid of this curse," Hermione replied.

"Which ones?"

"Some powdered horn of bicorn, gillyweed, scarabs, caterpillars, eye of newt, Lionheart Grass picked at midnight, Serpentine Vine picked at noon, and a dragon scale from a Welsh Green."

"I can help you with most of these, but Lionheart Grass, Serpentine Vine, and the dragon scale you'll have to manage for yourself."

"Hey, we can get Charlie to send us a dragon scale!" Ron exclaimed.

"Sirius, do you know what Lionheart Grass and Serpetine Vine are?" Harry asked his Godfather.

"Serpentine Vine stands for the curse, and Lionheart Grass stands for the remedy. Serpentine Vine helps bring out the properties of Lionheart Grass which in turn brings out the properties of the other ingredients. Serpentine Vine usually grows in tropical areas, and Lionheart Grass grows in deserts."

"That's a great potion you found, 'Mione," Ron said sarcastically. "Maybe we'll be able to miss school to pick those two plants."

"I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore about it. Meanwhile, you three stay out of trouble, you hear? Especially you, Harry."

***

"Dumbledore, we need those two plants! You can't expect the Gryffindors to miss any more classes! I need time off."

"Let's not get hasty. Talk to Remus about it, I believe he has an useful contact that can help you."

***

Remus Lupin heard a knock on his door.

"Come in."

Kyon entered.

"Hello, Padfoot. What do you need?"

"You know what's happened to the Gryffindors?"

Remus nodded.

"I've been talking to Dumbledore about two crucial ingredients to the counterpotion. He told me to ask you, saying that you have an useful contact."

"Perhaps I do. And even if the contact can't supply us, I believe it can still be solved. The cure should be here by the day after tomorrow or maybe even tomorrow."

"Who is your contact, Moony?"

Remus sighed.

"I can't tell you, old friend."

"Why not?"

"Sirius, don't tell me you've forgotten what you did to Severus in our school years," Remus said warily.

"He deserved it, trying to take you from me," Sirius growled.

"Was I ever yours? Please, just stop. Severus is dead now. You ought to be happy."

"Is your contact a Death Eater now, Remus?"

"Padfoot, stop! Just tell me what you need and get out!"

Sirius stopped. Remus never yelled or raised his voice unless he was terribly upset or angry.

"I need Serpentine Vine picked at noon and Lionheart Grass picked at midnight." Sirius walked to the door, then turned back and hesitantly said, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Moony."

With that, Kyon left Remus alone. Remus shook his head.

_This will be harder than I thought. If Lucius finds out, I'll be in more trouble than Narcissa. But if Victoria finds out, we're both good as dead._

***

Narcissa was about to crawl into bed when she heard a tapping on the window. She walked across to the window and opened it. In flew a barn owl, a piece of parchment tied on its leg. Narcissa took the parchment off of the owl's leg, then petted it. The parchment read:

__

Narcissa,

I need your help. Come to Hogwarts as soon as you can.

__

Remus

Remus Lupin didn't contact her everyday. In fact, she hadn't seen him since he graduated from Hogwarts with Lucius, Severus, and all the other Seventh Years. So what is it now? It better not have anything to do with using her powers. Lucius had been gone since Draco went to Hogwarts, and Narcissa knew what he was doing. Victoria hadn't contacted her for a little more than seventeen years, not since when she came to Malfoy Manor to drop something off. But Narcissa knew that she was still out there, and if her cousin found out, it was not going to be pretty, especially since they had been sworn to secrecy. However, Remus's message intrigued her, and a few seconds later, only the house elves remained in Malfoy Manor.

***

Remus heard a knock on his door for the second time that evening. It was only 10:00 P.M.

_Narcissa got here pretty quick._

He opened the door to see Narcissa standing outside.

"Come in."

"What do you need help with?"

"I need two potion ingredients. And I can't get them without your help and Flora's."

***

After noon the next day, Serpentine Vine and Lionheart Grass had been picked and given to Kyon.

That morning, Hedwig had come back with the dragon scale. All the potions ingredients had been acquired. Now, it was all up to Kyon.

Sirius had been a good Potions student while he had been at Hogwarts. In fact, he and Severus both made a perfect score on their Potions N.E.W.T. The only reason he had a lower grade than Severus in Potions was because the Potions professor favored Slytherin. Seeing that he had a free afternoon, Sirius started working on the counterpotion.

***

Victoria watched everything happening. It was pretty clever of her to cast an Espionage Charm. Something not even Dumbledore could detect. As if his magic could surpass hers. He was powerful, yes, but not as powerful as her, and definitely not as powerful as Voldemort. Her dear Tom.

She had watched since First Year. Ever since that fool Sirius Black interfered, things had not been going smoothly. Her son and the lucky boy had not been getting along.

__

If the prophecy isn't fulfilled soon, I'll have to brew a love potion for the two of them.

If only that Black hadn't interfered. At least one part of the prophecy would be fulfilled. She would be stuck here watching anyways, but at least Victoria wouldn't be as irritated and frustrated as she was now.

Oh yes, she remembered the prophecy very well. And her son was part of it. She didn't even want him at first. She only got pregnant for the sake of the prophecy.

_They had better fulfill the prophecy by their own will or else, I will force them to, _Victoria thought darkly.

***

Kyon had come up to the Gryffindor common room with the counterpotion the night after Hermione found it with McGonagall. He cured the stronger ones first, then got them to carry the rest of the counterpotion back to the common room.

"Congratulations, Miss Granger. Fifteen points to Gryffindor. I knew I wasn't wrong about you being Head Girl."

After everyone had been cured and the two professors left the common room, Hermione held up the same book she found the counterpotion in.

"What do you say we get some revenge?"

"How?" Ron asked.

"You'll see."

___________________________________

Thanks to:

Luna Rose and Phoenix Child

Prophetess of Hearts

Draco Malfoy-N-Harry Potter

And all readers!

Edited 10/22/02


	6. Chapter 6: The Gryffindors' Revenge

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 6

The Gryffindors' Revenge

That night, as he was lying in bed, Harry wondered why he couldn't talk to the snakes. After all, he was a Parselmouth. He remembered trying to talk the snakes. He had been hissing, speaking in Parseltongue; the snakes had hissed back, but they made a golden, melodious sound that was nothing like Parseltongue. Little did Harry know that the snakes weren't true snakes. Because of Draco's blood, they became hybrids, and they couldn't speak Parseltongue.

The Gryffindors' plan for revenge was put into action the next week. And of course, Harry was the chosen person to act out the plan.

***

On Monday, Harry's stomach was filled with butterflies. It was the day to carry out their revenge. And if it went wrong, well, it wasn't going to be good. Hermione had assured them that the spell would work fine, not that it helped Harry's nerves any. Also, the first contest was going to be held in two weeks. And it didn't help that his first class was with Trelawny, who would probably be predicting his death even more fervently than usual.

It was finally afternoon, time for Double Potions. Being paired with Malfoy was better than Harry had thought, since Malfoy had started doing his share of the work. Probably because he was afraid of Sirius.

"Today, we will be doing an Animagus Identifier Potion. This potion allows you to see the best animal to change into if you want to become an Animagus. Next lesson, we will be brewing the Animagus Potion, which allows you to change into an animal for a limited amount of time. The ingredients and instructions are on the board. You will test your potion fifteen minutes before the end of class."

Harry chopped the milipedes into equal pieces while Draco measured the amount of Dragon Blood needed. Harry accidentally knocked a piece onto the floor.

"Watch it, Potter. But I'm sure you won't mind picking that dirty thing up, seeing as how you absolutely love Mudbloods."

"Ten points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy. Now go help Mr. Potter and pick the milipede up for him, will you?"

Draco glared at Kyon hatefully before picking the milipede up the floor and dropping it in the pile. The rest of the ingredients were prepared without any incidents.

Fifteen minutes before class ended, Kyon swept around the class, recording the animals that suited each person. Neville was of all things, a lion. Hermione had a sphinx; Ron was also a lion. Pansy was a cat, which really surprised Ron. Crabbe and Goyle were both bulls. Finally, it was Harry and Draco's turn.

Harry drank some of the potion. He felt a tingling sensation working all throughout his body, then the image of a creature with the head, wings, and claws of an eagle and the body and hind legs of a lion appeared. A griffin.

The image faded, and Harry saw Kyon looking at him curiously.

"A griffin." Harry saw a flash of surprise on Kyon's face for a split second before indifference settled in. Kyon nodded and wrote it down on the piece of parchment he had been holding.

Draco ladled up some potion and drank it all. Same as Harry, a tingling sensation spread throughout his body, then an image of an animal, or really, a creature appeared. The creature seemed like a larger version of a snake, but it had gold scales on its body instead of leathery skin. It had eagle claws at intervals on its body, antlers on its head, and flexible whiskers by its mouth. (A/N: I can't think of words to describe this, but when it moves forward, the end of the whiskers float back, kinda like hair when you're running, i guess.) And Draco instinctively knew that it could fly.

The magnificent creature faded, and Draco found himself back in the dungeons.

"Well, what is it?" Kyon asked impatiently.

"I, I don't know, sir."

"How can you not know, Mr. Malfoy? I'm sure you've studied a variety of creatures in Care of Magical Creatures, did you not?" Ron snickered.

"Yes, Professor, but I swear, I've not seen it, not even in a book."

"Describe it then."

Draco described it Kyon. When he finished, he looked at Kyon inquisitively.

"Are you sure you saw that? I've never heard anything like it. Next lesson, when we make the Animagus Potion, I'll snap a picture."

Draco felt annoyed. Here Kyon was, insulting him on his knowledge of magical creatures when the git didn't even know the creature himself! What a prat!

***

After dinner, Harry followed Malfoy and his goons to the dungeons, taking care to keep out of sight. He heard them say the password ("serpent") and walked back to Gryffindor Tower, with the purpose of retrieving his Invisibility Cloak.

Harry exited again, this time with the Invisibility Cloak on, and headed for the Slytherin common room. He waited impatiently by the door. Soon, Blaise showed up, and Harry slipped by Blaise.

The Slytherin common room was as Harry remembered, dim and dark. A few Slytherins were up, mostly sitting by themselves or with a small group, whispering. Then, he saw Malfoy and Pansy sitting by each other. Harry walked over and stationed himself next to Malfoy, hoping to find out about his secret.

"Did you really see that...that thing?"

"Yeah. I have no idea what it is, and I doubt Mother would."

"She had been a Ravenclaw. Maybe she'll figure it out."

"I doubt even that Hagrid knows what that creature is. And he's supposed to be an expert on Magical Creatures."

"You have to admit that the centaur lessons are pretty neat."

"As long as no one else hears."

"So, how will you get out of the contract between us?"

"Don't remind me about that."

"Lucius won't ever forgive you if you don't marry me."

Harry, seeing that the conversation was plain boring, left Malfoy's side and went to stand by the fireplace. It seemed as if the Slytherins just refused to leave the common room. Everytime someone left, two others came in. Finally, ten minutes after midnight, Malfoy and Parkinson left the room.

Harry looked around, just to make sure that two more Slytherins wouldn't come barging in. After making sure that all the Slytherins were in their dorms, he left the common room, saying the spell as the wall closed behind him. A red stream of light shot out of his wand and hit the common room wall, splitting into two more streams of light as the dungeon wall closed completely.

***

As Draco woke up, he felt warm. Warmer than usual. As he rubbed his hands over his eyes, the Slytherin felt fur. Fur?!

Draco quickly looked at himself and groaned. Fur had grown all over his body. And if he was hearing things right, the other Slytherins had just discovered their problem. This needed to be reported to Kyon.

Draco left the dorm and the common room at amazing speed, reaching the Potions classroom in less than a minute. The blonde knocked on Kyon's office door.

"Yes?" Kyon's head poked out. When he saw Draco, he fought back the impulse to laugh.

"What is it, Mr. Malfoy?"

"May we miss lessons until we recover?"

"No. You will not miss class."

"But..the Gryffindors..."

"No buts, Mr. Malfoy. Tell the House that if anyone misses class, they will have detention for a week." As soon as Kyon closed the door, he burst out laughing. Did he miss the days as a Marauder!

***

The day did not go well for the Slytherins. They had to endure the laughter of the whole school, and quite a few got into fights. In fact, it took everything Draco had to stop himself from hexing Potter and Weasel with Dark Magic.

As soon as classes ended, Draco made his way down to the Slytherin dorms and took out his book.

_Mother, the whole Slytherin House has been hit with a spell. We've all grown fur. Can you find a countercurse or potion?_

The next day, it as even worse. The male Slytherins who already had a beard, mustache, or some kind of facial hair grew a mane around their heads. All the Slytherins had grown sharp canines, and as Draco found out at breakfast, he could only eat meat.

The jeering was even worse than the previous day. Draco was beginning to hate Kyon more and more by the moment. No doubt the man had once been a Gryffindor. By the time all the classes ended for the day, plenty of Gryffindors had been sent up to the Hospital Wing. Because the Slytherins were morphing into lions, they had gained the speed and agility of the lion, making them almost unbeatable in a physical fight with a normal human being.

Again, Draco took out his book. There was nothing in it.

_Mother, we are morphing into lions. Today, we grew canines and some guys grew manes. I'm sure there's a countercurse somewhere in Father's library._

Draco was in luck. When the Slytherin came back from dinner and checked his book, there was writing in it in blue ink.

_I've found the counterpotion. The ingredients are listed below. Go to Remus Lupin and ask him for help. Do not be afraid. Tell him I send my regards._

Draco sighed. Go to Remus Lupin? The werewolf would probably laugh in his face, then slam the door. After all, Draco hadn't exactly been the best student in class. But there was no way he could get some of these potion ingredients from Kyon, especially if the man's prejudiced against Slytherin. Thus, Draco trudged off to Lupin's office, after copying the potion ingredients down.

The Slytherin knocked, and the door was immediately opened.

"Mr. Malfoy? Come in, please."

Draco walked in and took a seat.

"What can I do for you?"

_This might not be as hard as I thought._

"I need some potion ingredients."

"Why aren't you talking to Professor Kyon then?"

"Someone adviced me to ask you. Can you help or not?" Draco asked, with a touch of irritation in his voice.

"What are the ingredients?"

Draco handed the list over. Lupin scanned it and nodded.

"Come by after lunch. It should be ready then."

Draco stood up and walked to the door.

"Thank you. Mother sends her regards." With that, the Malfoy was gone, leaving Lupin alone in the office.

_I'll need Flora's help again. But otherwise, I can coax the ingredients from Siri._

***

The next day, the Slytherins grew tails. All throughout the day, the tails kept getting stepped on, accidentally and non-accidentally, which sent even more people up to the Hospital Wing, none of them Slytherins. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were beginning to regret cursing them, if it meant that the Slytherins would be able to win physical fights against them.

After lunch, Draco went to Lupin's office.

_This had better be ready, or I swear, I will curse someone with one of the Unforgivables. I'm sure Weasel wouldn't mind a little pain._

Draco prepared to knock on Lupin's office door, but before his knuckles touched the door, the door opened. The Slytherin stepped in and saw a huge kettle of clear liquid sitting in a corner of the room. He ladled some up and drank it. Instantly, the tail and fur disappeared.

"Thank you. I'll tell the rest of my House about this."

That evening, the Slytherins had returned to normal, though that couldn't be said for the people in the Hospital Wing. Weasel seemed a bit down, but Draco wasn't surprised. After all, he was probably responsible for the Slytherins' dilemma.

After dinner, Draco went straight to his dorm and took out his book. His mother had come through, as usual.

_Thank you, Mummy._

As he put the book back in his trunk, his fingers closed against something cold and smooth. Draco took it out. It was a blue crystal narcissus, with a tiny, pale, golden, crystal dragon curled up on top of it. His mother had given this to him before he came back to Hogwarts to show that she will always be there for him. Yes, his mother was the best.

___________________________________________

Thanks to:

tenshimagic

Prophetess of Hearts

And all readers!

Draco might seem a bit OOC, but remember, he's not as evil and arrogant and snobby as everyone thinks. It's just a facade.


	7. Chapter 7: Dreams of the Past

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 7

Dreams of the Past

_Someone was talking to the golden creature Draco saw._

"Can you help me?" The figure asked.

"I will."

"Thank you."

From the voice, Draco could tell it was a woman. She climbed onto the creature's back, and the creature took off, flying away into the clouds. He wondered if the creature was her pet.

The creature flew at an amazing speed. Soon, it started descending and landed next to a cave. The woman climbed off.

"Thank you. Please give my regards to the First."

"I will. Call me anytime, sister. We're always glad to help." With that, the creature flew away.

The woman stood looking after the creature until it was out of sight, then started walking down a path. Soon, Hogsmeade loomed into sight.

The woman climbed down the stile and into Hogsmeade. She made her way to the Three Broomsticks and entered. Her eyes scanned the pub, then made her way towards a teenage girl sitting in the corner.

She slid across from the girl. The teenage girl glanced up. Draco gasped. It was his mother, but a much younger version.

"Who are you?"

For the first time, Draco could see the woman's eyes. The blonde gasped again. It was impossible. Her eyes were Malfoy Grey, the color that only a Malfoy could have for eye color. But his father and grandfather had both been only children. And his great-grandfather's sister had died before she could produce a child. How did the woman get Malfoy Grey eyes?

Narcissa seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Are you related to Lucius?"

"A bit. But I'm also related to you. A very distant cousin, you might say."

"But wouldn't that mean I'm related to Lucius?"

"Don't worry about it. The last time a Malfoy married a Moore was in the 1200's. The two of you are far apart enough to get married now. Even though I must ask, is this true love?"

"Of course it is. Lucius loves me more than he loves power. But he's already bound to Alexandra Zabini. They are supposed to wed after they finish Hogwarts next year. He says that he'll only have sex with her to create a heir, and I can be his mistress. But my Moore family pride won't allow me to be a mistress. And Lucius will probably be disowned if he does something to Alexandra. So will I, if I marry him. After all, Malfoys are known to be on the other side, and Moores have always been on the side of light."

"Malfoys have veela blood in them, Narcissa. You do too. It might be the veela blood that's attracting the two of you together."

"You have veela blood too, don't you?"

"Yes, but that's not the point. The veela blood might be the reason you two are 'in love.'"

"I know that Lucius loves me, and I know I love him back. I had borrowed one of my friends's Luboball, and I saw Lucius in it. I know it's true love."

"But your family won't approve. Would you rather give up your family and friends or give up the man you 'love'?"

"I'll do anything for Lucius. If I have to give up my family and friends, I will. They should be understanding if they're true family and friends."

"Haven't you heard that Malfoys can't love? They only marry purebloods, and it's for power, status, and money."

"But you do know that all Malfoys are brought up this way. I can tell that before Lucius was brought up to be a Malfoy, he had been very caring and full of love. The Malfoy upbringing pushed it deep down inside him. But it's there. I can feel it, especially when he's with me."

"If you truly believe that he loves you, well, I'll support you whichever way you choose. After all, if it is true love, then you two deserve to be together." The woman gave a short, bitter laugh.

"Something happened to you, didn't it?"

"None of your business," the woman snapped. Narcissa was visibly taken aback. In a much softer tone, she said, "I'd rather not talk about it, not now, anyways. Maybe someday, you'll know."

"What's your name, may I ask?"

"Victoria. Call me Vic if you want. The real reason I came is this—"

Draco woke up. The dream was tantalizingly real. No doubt something from the past. Why had his mother or his father never told him that he was part Veela? Draco rolled over and fell asleep again, to wake up in the morning with the dream still fresh on his mind. However, it fell to the back of his mind as he started to get ready for another day of school.

Harry had woken up at the exact same time. However, he could not understand the woman's talk with the creature, and as soon as he awoke, he had forgotten the dream. All it left was a vague impression.

***

It was Monday, the day for the Animagus Potion. The Slytherins trudged into the classroom, some throwing dirty looks at the Gryffindors, others at Kyon. After all, their Head of House had favored Gryffindor over them!

"As you all know, today we will be brewing the Animagus Potion. The ingredients and instructions are on the board. You will be tested fifteen minutes before class ends." Draco noticed a camera on Kyon's desk. Probably to take a picture of him once he drinks the potion.

The potion was prepared in silence, as always. He and Potter seemed to have come to a silent understanding. Everything will be fine if neither of them talks. It seemed that way to Draco, since Kyon seemed to take points away from Slytherin everytime he opened his mouth.

Fifteen minutes before the end of class, Kyon swept around, watching the results as students began taking their potions. Everyone's potion had worked perfectly except for Crabbe and Goyle's, which turned their bodies into bulls but not their heads, making them resemble the Minotaur. Harry and Draco's potion also worked perfectly, leaving a griffin and a magnificent creature in the two's place.

Kyon quickly took his camera and snapped a photo of the creature. The picture was immediately produced. After class, when all the students had left looking their regular selves (the potion was set for fifteen minutes), Kyon took the picture to Dumbledore's office.

He told the gargoyle the password ("Sugar Quill"). The gargoyle leapt aside. Kyon walked through the gap in the walls and stepped onto a spiral stone staircase, which moved upwards. When he reached the oak door, Kyon knocked with the brass door knocker.

"Come in."

"Dumbledore, here's what I was telling you about." Sirius handed Dumbledore the photo.

"Most interesting. I will see if I can find anything on it. See me on Wednesday."

***

_Another one of the creatures flew down toward the woman. They were in a desert. This creature seemed old, wise, as if it had been here since the beginning of time._

The woman kneeled down.

"You can stand up, daughter."

"Thank you, mother."

"Are you here for an oath?"

"Yes, I am. Even though the prophecy says so, I won't take any chances. This is the best way to ensure that if I die, the prophecy will still happen."

"Maybe the prophecy meant for you to think like this. Very well, if you're sure then."

"Yes, I am. Besides, this is not just my test. It's her test, too."

"What a shame her brother loved power more than her. If he didn't, he would have gotten what he wanted."

Then, in a language Draco didn't understand, though it sounded like some Asian language, the woman started chanting. She took out a dagger. It had a bright, sharp, steel blade, much like the minature version of a sword. She put it to her right cheek, beside her eyebrow and slashed dowards, all the way down to her chin. Blood flowed down her cheek, and as Draco watched, the creature began lapping up the blood.

Finally, the blood stopped flowing. The cut glowed gold for a moment, the same color as the creature's scales, before it turned a nasty red.

"The oath has been done. Good luck to you, daughter."

"Thank you, but it won't help. Things will happen as the prophecy says. I can't change it, so luck won't do me any good."

The creature nodded, then flew away into the clouds.

Draco woke up. So did Harry. Again, Harry forgot the dream instantly, especially since he could't understand any of the woman's conversation with the creature, but the same couldn't be said for Draco.

What was her name again? Victoria. Was she one of the creatures but disguised herself as a human? But if that was the case, why would she be related to Father and Mother? Again, the dream was pushed back into his mind as the day started.

***

_A much younger version of the woman was at the Library in Hogwarts. As Draco watched, someone took the seat across from her. A very handsome boy, with black hair and green eyes._

"Hello, Tom."

"Hello, Vicky."

"Do you want to stay over at my house during the summer? I'm sure you don't want to go back to the orphanage. My parents won't mind. After all, you're such a handsome boy."

"Thanks. I'm tired of the orphanage. I stayed there for eleven years, before I knew about who I really was and Hogwarts."

"It's ironic, isn't it? At the start of the year, we hated each other. After that one research project for Potions together, everything changed. A Gryffindor falling in love with a Slytherin. Who would have thought?"

"Yes, who would have? Come on, otherwise we'll miss the carriages to Hogsmeade."

The two held hands as they walked out of the Library.

***

_The train stopped at King's Cross Station in London. The two took their bags and started walking towards the barrier, waiting in the long line. Finally, it was time for them to cross. The two walked across together. Malfoy Grey eyes scanned the train station before resting on two people._

She led the way while he followed. The two adults swept her up in a hug.

"We've missed you, Victoria. Who's this that you've brought with you?"

"My friend here stays at the orphanage, and I was wondering if he could stay with us this summer."

"Of course! What an adorable boy! What's your name?"

"Tom, Tom Riddle."

Another dream. Another dream from which Draco and Harry awoke. Harry, again, forgot the dream, but Draco lay in his bed, contemplating it. So that was why she laughed at true love. There is no way that she could still be with Tom Riddle/Voldemort. After all, Voldemort is a heartless bastard. With the start of the day looming ahead though, Draco again pushed the dream into the back of his mind.

***

"Dumbledore, have you found anything?"

"No. Why don't you give this back to Mr. Malfoy? I'm sure he has resources that can help him find out."

Kyon reluctantly took back the photo. He walked straight to the Slytherin common room, giving the password. He was in luck. Draco was sitting on one of the couches in the common room.

"The creature has not been identified. I had been told to give this to you because you have resources." The tone was short and clipped. He had hated Lucius, and now, to be dealing with his son as his Head of House. Dumbledore really should have made Remy Head of Slytherin House. After all, he did have that relationship with Snape.

Draco took the photo and looked at it. All of a sudden, the three dreams rushed back into his mind. That woman with the Malfoy Grey eyes, somehow, she's related to those creatures. And Mother was related to her. Maybe Mother knew about these creatures. The identity of these creatures should be solved soon. All thanks to a few dreams.

____________________________________________

Thanks to:

All readers!

Edited 10/23/02


	8. Chapter 8: Return of an Old Friend

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 8

Return of an Old Friend

Draco, walking by Blaise on his way to the dorm, couldn't help stopping and asking him about his father's once-fiancée.

"Blaise, do you have an Aunt Alexandra?"

Blaise's eyes narrowed.

"I was wondering when you would start taunting me about it. After all, your father ditched my aunt to marry your mother. Look what good it did him. Aunt Alexandra had everything, power, status, wealth. Your mother was nothing but a trashy whore. And to think, your father had the bad taste to pick a Moore over a Zabini, an enemy over a comrade. Lucius will get what he deserves, as soon as he falls out of favor with the Dark Lord. And so will your mother, and you, who wasn't supposed to exist in the first place."

Draco shoved Blaise against the wall.

"Say that about my family again, and you'll regret it!" he spat.

"What are you going to do now, Moore? Going to use the same curse Lucius used on my aunt and send me to St. Mungo's, too? Pathetic, aren't you? I'm waiting, Moore." Blaise taunted.

Draco kneed Blaise hard in the crotch; Blaise doubled over in pain. As Draco walked away, he pointed his wand at Blaise.

"_Crucio_!" Blaise's screams filled the common room as Draco shut the door to the Seventh Years' dorms.

***

Narcissa scanned the silver words on the page. How did he find out? He wasn't supposed to know, not yet. She wasn't ready to tell him about the whole sordid affair. She couldn't stand the thought of him hating her or leaving her.

_What am I supposed to tell that son of mine?_

Narcissa had absolutely no clue as she gazed down again at his words.

_Mother, I need some answers. First of all, do you think you could get in contact with Victoria? Also, what did Father curse Alexandra Zabini with?_

Damnit. This was not going to be easy. Especially with all the lies over the years. And it was all her cousin's fault.

***

It was the week of the first contest. Before dinner on Monday, Dumbledore gave out an announcement.

"The first contest of the Founders' Pride will happen this Saturday. On Sunday, October 26, there will be an All-Hollow's Eve Masquerade! The champions MUST attend. The Masquerade starts at seven and will end at Midnight."

Harry groaned. A Masquerade? Now he'll have to buy a costume and everything.

Draco felt the exact same way. A Masquerade? He had been to enough Death Eater parties and balls to last a lifetime. And he had no idea what to dress up as.

***

On Friday, as Harry walked towards the Library in hopes of looking up curses for the first contest, he bumped into someone.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up.

"Morgan? What are you doing here?"

It was Morgan Le Fey, dressed in splendid crimson robes and an elegant silver cloak. Her black hair contrasted sharply with the silver cloak, and brown eyes flecked with amber looked down at him.

"Dumbledore called me here for a favor. So, how have you been, Harry?"

"Nervous."

"Not unexpected, given that tomorrow's the first contest of the Founders' Pride. Good luck, I hope you win."

"Thanks, Morgan."

Just then, Draco showed up, clearly thinking along the same lines as Harry. He stopped when he saw Harry and Morgan.

Draco glared at Harry before stepping up to Morgan.

"Hello, Miss. I haven't seen you here before. Would you like a tour of the castle?" Draco asked charmingly.

Morgan looked at Draco with disgust on her face.

"Are you a Malfoy?"

Draco nodded.

"I thought so. After all, only Malfoys have that ugly shade of grey for their eyes. And, of course, the veela hair. I only wish I had cursed Albert Malfoy before he had children. Malfoys are still sliming up the world, and to think I could have stopped it. Let's go, Harry. Malfoys are unworthy of my presence."

Draco stood, shocked, as Morgan and Harry walked away. How dare she call him slime? No wonder she had the bad taste of liking Potter. The Slytherin stormed away, intent on finding someone to vent his anger on.

***

Harry looked at Morgan, shocked.

"I never knew you had a vendetta against Malfoy. What did that Albert do?"

"Same as all the others, chasing after me. He was unstoppable! And married, too, to a Peony Parkinson, if I remember correctly."

Harry wondered if all the Parkinsons had flowers for their names. At least, the female ones.

"I had no choice but to turn him into a frog. Really, a shame Malfoys exist. The family was always a disgrace."

And Malfoy had the dignity to call him a disgrace with such a colorful history? Harry shook his head.

"So, what are you doing now, Morgan?"

"I've opened a dress robes shop in Diagon Alley and in Hogsmeade. Why don't you recommend people to my shop for the All-Hollow's Eve Masquerade?"

"Nothing escapes you, Morgan."

"Of course not. After all, I am famous."

***

"Guess what, Morgan's back."

"Morgan? The one we rescued?" Hermione asked.

Harry glanced around to see if anybody had overheard. No one seemed to have.

"Keep your voice down. And yes, the same Morgan."

"What's she doing here?" asked Ron.

"She said that Dumbledore called her here for a favor. Exactly what, she didn't tell me. Have you decided what to dress up as for the Masquerade? Morgan wants me to recommend people to go to her shop."

Hermione and Ron both nodded.

"What about you, Harry?"

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure yet. I'm glad we don't have to get partners for this one. I can't go with Parvati again, after Fourth Year. Lavender has that Ravenclaw boyfriend. And you're my friend, 'Mione, so I can't really go with you. I'm out of choices if we do have to get a dance partner." Harry had another reason for not going with Hermione. Ron had been in love with her ever since the Yule Ball in Fourth Year, and Harry wasn't going to betray his best friend.

"Don't worry, I'm sure plenty of girls will be lining up to ask you," Hermione said brightly.

"Don't remind me about that. I think I'll go back to the Library. After all, I didn't even get to go in the first time."

***

The common room was full of speculation about the first contest the next day. Blaise smiled sinisterly to himself. Yes, what he had requested from his father had just arrived in the morning. Malfoy was going to pay.

___________________________________

Thanks to:

Ancasta

Shinigami

And all readers!

Edited 10/23/02


	9. Chapter 9: Gryffindor's Quest

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 9

Gryffindor's Quest

The next day, the four champions were full of nerves and excitement as they arrived at breakfast. Terry and Susan had dark circles under their eyes, as if they haven't slept in days. Draco had his trademark smirk on his face and was talking very calmly to Pansy. Harry felt a bit nervous, as this time, he didn't know about the contest, but he was sure that everything will be okay. Unless Voldemort found a way to enter the grounds.

All the Gryffindors, as they sat down for breakfast, made their way to Harry to wish him luck. Hermione and Ron were talking cheerfully about how well Harry will do, which did not have the intended effect of making Harry feel confident.

Pansy was simpering over Draco, asking him about how he felt to if his wand was functioning right, which was really annoying the blonde. It was sickening how the girl could not get over her love for him. So what if they spent one night together? He had broken it off the next day, and even though the two remained friends, Pansy was still way overly-concerned, protective, and possessive of Draco, which was something he did not like at all.

The Parkinsons have always been neutral, in their own way. Every generation, at least two Parkinsons are born. One is always given to a family on the Light side, and one is always betrothed to a family on the Dark side, therby insuring the Parkinsons' survival. It was actually funny, in a way, that Pansy's older brother, Peter Parkinson, had married a Moore, which meant that Draco was already related to Pansy by marriage.

However, there was no way he was going to marry Pansy. After all, he was not going to marry someone who treated him like he was a porcelain doll, because he certainly wasn't. Not that he was going to marry for love. Love was nothing except an inconvenience. At least, that's what Lucius taught him. Draco wasn't sure anymore, though, not after he heard about Alexandra Zabini. It seemed that maybe his father did marry for love. A Malfoy going against all the rules of a Malfoy. And Draco thought he was the only one. How ironic.

Pansy now was grabbing onto his arm and shooting evil looks at Potter, Boot, and Bones. Draco shook her off and proceeded to finish eating breakfast, which was hard to do, considering that he was stuck looking at Crabbe and Goyle watching each other like love-sick puppies. It was bad enough that he had already had enough sleepless nights, what with those two shagging each other senseless, but he did not have to tolerate it here. Not when he's the boss.

Draco looked at Pansy. She understood, as always. After all, they had been doing this since they were like what? Four? Pansy "accidentally" flicked a bit of porridge onto Crabbe's face. Crabbe looked at her in irritation, but as he saw the look on her face, he understood and promptly started eating breakfast, leaving a stupified Goyle looking at the two. That is, until he saw Draco, which is when he also caught on and started stuffing himself.

***

"Mr. Malfoy, the champions are now leaving to prepare for the first contest. You will walk around the Forbidden Forest until you come to a field. There will be a tent there, where you will receive instructions." Kyon stood above Draco, scowling slightly.

Draco nodded, extracted himself from Pansy again, and walked out of the Great Hall, distancing himself from the other three champions. Boot had a very determined look on his face, while Bones was observing him, Potter, and Boot, under the pretense of scenery-watching. Potter looked like he had a very bad case of nerves. Even though he had changed, Draco still thought of them as a pathetic bunch.

When the four champions arrived at the field, they found a forest green tent erected by the trees, blending in nicely with the background. Anyone who wasn't looking for it would not have seen the tent at all. Harry, Susan, Terry, and Draco entered the tent.

Lupin was in the tent. He smiled at the four champions as they entered. Potter was the only one who smiled back. Boot quirked his lips, Bones's expression remained the same, though Draco could see something akin to adoration in her eyes. Draco gave a slight nod, barely perceptible. He could not afford to lose his reputation, not if he wanted to survive the rest of the year.

"I hope all of you are ready to face the first contest. The first contest is called Gryffindor's Quest. Godric Gryffindor valued bravery, and that's what Gryffindor's Quest tests. All four of you will compete at the same time, with only your wand to help you. Your task is to retrieve the scroll with your house colors on it. Good luck!"

The four champions heard the rest of the school walking past their tent, no doubt on their way to the field right beside the trees, where Gryffindor's Quest would take place. Soon, they heard a magically magnified voice.

"Will the four champions please enter!"

Harry, Draco, Terry, and Susan exited the tent and walked towards the field. Seats had been erected onto the field, and there was not a single space left in the stands. At the other edge of the field, there was a judges' stand, with Dumbledore sitting in the center, Kyon and McGonagall to the left, Flitwick and Sprout to the right. Morgan was also sitting there, on the very left, by McGonagall.

"Welcome to the first contest of the Founders' Pride, Gryffindor's Quest! We have the lovely Morgan Le Fey here, who will explain the rules."

"Gryffindor's Quest will test the courage of our champions. They will enter into the mirror we have provided," Morgan pointed to a mirror standing in front of the judges' stand, which Harry recognized with a shock as the Mirror of Erised, "go through the door with their house colors on it, and find the scroll with their house colors on it. DO NOT read the scroll. Each champion will be judged on the speed and the condition he/she arrives back in. The people you meet may help you. Good luck to each of you. Now, will the champions please step into the mirror."

The four champions approached the mirror, Terry with calculation, Susan with apprehension, Harry with confusion, and Draco with calmness and determination. Draco stepped into the mirror first, followed by Harry, Terry, and Susan.

Four images glimmered in the air. The mirror had been charmed so that the crowd could see each champion's progress. Morgan could see each champion's deepest desires when they entered. And she did not like what she saw. Morgan never thought that her Mirror would be used for purposes such as these. She had been trapped for more than a millenium in that cursed emerald. All because she refused Authur. And Merlin helped her sick half-brother.

The Mirror of Erised had been created as a diversion for her to escape. Morgan was famous in her time for being one of the most powerful witches, and men sought after her, some for power, some for fame, some for money, some for looks, some for a conquest to brag about, but never one for just her. Thus, she had created the Mirror, as she knew men would waste away in front of it. And good riddance, too. But now, the Mirror was being treated without the proper respect. None of those fools knew its true powers. How ignorant of them.

Morgan knew, though, that she needed to modify two images in particular. It would not do well for neither of them if the rest found out. And they were needed. While traveling around the world, she had stayed at someone's house. And in the Library, she had found a book, dealing with dragons, or so she thought. The book was written in Chinese, and Morgan recognized the pictogram for dragon. However, after placing a Translating Spell on the book, she found out otherwise. It was a book of Firewind Dragon Prophecies. There, she had found a prophecy that even she didn't understand. The word Elemental was mentioned several times, and a man named Voldemort.

After she had been set free by Harry and his friends and updated on the situation here, she realized the significance of that particular prophecy. Dumbledore had told her a bit of confidential information, and that was when she realized the role Harry played.

Morgan didn't know the truth about the Malfoy until he stepped into the Mirror. He may have a Power Magic spell on him, but the Mirror was charmed with the most powerful Medieval Magic spells, which was able to break a Power Magic spell. And it was shocking to find out his role in the prophecy. But that meant that he wasn't who he seemed. Maybe she was wrong after all.

***

The champions entered to find themselves standing in front of four doors, each with a different house color on it. Each champion entered their respective door.

Draco went through the door to find himself standing at the field again, except this time, no one was there. This must be part of the test. The Slytherin walked back into Hogwarts. As soon as he entered the doors, Pansy greeted him.

"Harry's been so worried! Do you know what he's been going through?"

"Pansy! Are you okay? What's this about Potter?"

"Potter? Draco, are you sure you don't have some kind of fever or something?"

"There you are, Draco. Where have you been? I was so worried about you."

Potter was coming down the stairs toward him. Didn't those two find the situation weird? And when had he and Potter been on a first name basis, much less Pansy and Potter?

Draco was shocked when Potter stopped in front of him and kissed him. The blonde quickly shoved the Gryffindor away. What did he think he was playing at?

"Who do you think you are, Potter, Aphrodite? Or have you finally realized that Weasel is the lowliest of the low?"

"What is it with you, Draco? You know that Harry loves you. I mean, the two of you have been together ever since last year, when Harry defeated You-Know-Who and Lucius was jailed in Azkaban. I still don't understand how Narcissa can go visit him every week, but that's beside the point here. Draco, you are being a bigger prat than you have ever been! And to Harry, of all people!" Pansy huffed.

"Aren't you brilliant, Pansy. For a while there, I thought that you had been infected with Weasel's stupidity."

Pansy's eyes welled up with tears as she ran down to the dungeons.

"Draco, you know how touchy she gets when you mention George. They were barely together for half a year before he died in the final battle."

That was when Draco remembered Morgan's words.

"_The people you meet may help you_."

If this Potter was somehow involved with himself, then he could get Potter to do all the dirty work for him.

"Harry, I'm looking for something. Do you think you could help me?"

"Sure, Draco. What is it?"

"I need to find a scroll with the Slytherin house colors on it. Do you have any remote idea where it might be?"

Harry thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Last year, when 'Mione was in the Library, she accidentally came upon a secret panel. Inside were four scrolls, with each of the house colors. We opened them, but there was nothing inside. Why would you need them?"

"I'll tell you one day, I promise."

Harry led the way to the Library. The two boys walked until they reached a shelf right by the Restricted Section. Harry tapped on the side of the second highest shelf. Instantly, a panel on the side opened, revealing four scrolls, each in a different house color. Draco grabbed the silver-colored scroll.

"Thanks, Harry."

"Now, will you tell me what's going on?"

"I promise, you'll know soon. I need to get somewhere, I'll see you later."

Not waiting for an answer, Draco escaped Harry and walked quickly out of Hogwarts. He then proceeded back to the field, where the Mirror stood. Draco walked right into it; when he exited, he found himself back at Hogwarts.

"Draco Malfoy, at five minutes, is the first champion to return! Judges, please give your scores."

Sprout pointed her wand up; a yellow stream of light shot out of her wand and formed a ten. Flitwick was next, also giving Draco a ten. Dumbledore, a ten. McGonagall, also a ten. This was too good to be true, but Draco had returned first after all, and he was in the same condition as he had been when he went in. Then, it was Kyon's turn. He seemed to ponder for a while, then pointed his wand up. A green stream of light shot out and formed a five.

A five?! Draco could hear boos from the crowd. He could just imagine the man giving Potter a ten. Yes, now he was convinced that his Head of House was a Gryffindor.

His score wasn't that bad, though. A fourty-five out of fifty.

***

Harry entered the door and found himself back at the field. However, this field had no stands erected on it. No doubt this was an imaginary world where his deepest desires were reality.

Harry made his way to Hogwarts, where he bumped into a familiar Slytherin.

"Harry, what are you doing out there? I thought we were going to spend the day together."

"I'd rather be locked in a room with Snape for two days than spend one day with you, Malfoy!"

Malfoy looked hurt. Was that even possible?

"What's wrong with you, Harry? Everything else seems to be okay. Your parents and your Godfather are here, Voldemort's been gone since Fifth Year, what's bothering you?"

"You, Malfoy. There is no we."

"And that would explain why Weasley has heard you moan my name out while you're sleeping," Malfoy replied.

This was not his ideal world. His ideal world did not include Malfoy as his lover, right? His parents were alive, Sirius was free, Voldemort was dead, what more could he want? The Mirror was not functioning. However, deep down inside, Harry knew the truth, not that he was ever going to admit it.

The Gryffindor remembered Morgan's words.

"_The people you meet may help you_." Maybe Malfoy knew about the scrolls.

"Draco?"

"What do you want, Potter?"

"I'm sorry about earlier. I was thinking about other things. I really need to find a scroll with the Gryffindor house colors on it. Do you have any clue where that might be?"

Draco shook his head. He looked different, with his hair not gelled. The blonde looked a lot cuter than usual, and he was pretty hot by usual standards.

"I'm sure Hermione knows, though. She's at the Library. Why don't we go see her?"

Harry grudgingly shuffled after Draco. This must be his nightmare world.

***

"'Mione, do you know where a scroll with Gryffindor colors on it would be?"

Hermione looked at Harry with exasperation.

"Don't you remember the secret panel we found in the Library last year?"

Harry thought back. He remembered Hermione telling them about the panel. They had gone to look at the scrolls, but they were blank.

While he was remembering, his body had moved after Hermione. When Harry came back to the present, the panel was already open, and in her hand, Hermione held the gold scroll. However, she was frowning.

"This is strange. The silver scroll is gone."

Oh no. Malfoy had already gotten his scroll. Harry quickly snatched the scroll out of Hermione's hands, and as he ran out of the Library, earning himself a disapproving look from Madam Pince, Harry threw a thanks at Hermione and Draco.

***

When Harry reappeared in the real world, he saw Malfoy standing to the side. He was right, Malfoy did win after all.

"Harry Potter, at ten minutes, is the second champion to return! Judges, please give your scores."

Sprout shot a nine into the air. Flitwick was next; he gave Harry an eight. Dumbledore also gave Harry a nine. McGongall, like Flitwick, gave Harry an eight also. Finally, it was Sirius's turn. Sirius unhesitatingly shot a ten into the air. A fourty-four out of fifty.

Harry could hear the crowds cheering for him. Malfoy shot an angry glance at him. He wondered what score Malfoy received.

***

Terry arrived back at the field after twenty-five minutes, with a bronze scroll in his hand. The Ravenclaw received a fourty from the judges. Finally, after fourty-five minutes in the Mirror of Erised, Susan came out, also, with a black scroll tucked carefully under her arm. The judges gave the Hufflepuff a thirty-seven.

Dumbledore stood up.

"Congratulations for completing the first contest, champions! In your hands are the clues to the next contest, which will happen on December 21. Beware though, champions, the scroll can only be read once before it disintegrates into dust. Good luck to all of you!"

The Slytherins came rushing down. Draco was carried back to the Slytherin dorms, where a major party was underway. So what if Slytherin had only surpassed Gryffindor by one point? They had won. They knew that Draco wasn't going to fail them.

Harry walked with the Gryffindors back to Gryffindor Tower, where another party was starting. Along the way, Ron and Hermione told them what they had seen. Apparently, they couldn't hear anything; Harry was surprised when they told him what they had seen but was glad they didn't see what really happened. The Mirror had to be malfunctioning.

***

Pansy stood by Draco, talking excitedly.

"That was so smart of you to force Potter into showing you where the scroll was!"

"What?!"

"Remember? You forced Potter to lead you to the scroll's hiding place?"

Draco nodded. Maybe that Morgan Le Fey wasn't as bad as he thought. He was glad that they couldn't hear or see the real thing. That would have been too diasterdly. Him and Potter, a couple? Preposterous.

Draco took a swig of butterbeer. Blaise noticed this and smirked. The real fun was about to begin.

In ten minutes, Draco heard Pansy let out a small gasp.

"What is it, Pansy?" Pansy just stared at him. Draco realized that his voice sounded much more high-pitched than usual.

He quickly looked into the mirror that stood in a corner of the common room. Bloody hell.

"Nice, isn't it, Malfoy?"

"I should have known, Zabini." Draco said through clenched teeth.

________________________________________

Thanks to:

silent angel

KawaiiKowaiKoneko - Thanks for telling me! It slipped my mind when I wrote the first chap. Also, I would write the other two years, but I have no detailed plot!

And all readers!

Edited 10/23/02


	10. Chapter 10: The Dryad Prince

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 10

The Dryad Prince

In one fluid motion, Draco swung around and grabbed Blaise's collar, lifting him into midair.

"How do you take this curse off, Zabini?" he whispered in a deadly voice.

Blaise smirked.

"And why would I tell you that, Miss Malfoy?"

The change was evident. Pale blonde hair now cascaded halfway down his back, and the face was much softer. Draco's voice was more high-pitched, like a girl's, and his chest had grown.

Draco looked back at Blaise, eyes cool as usual, not showing any emotion. Lucius had taught him that, too. Never let your enemies see your weaknesses, and emotion was definitely a weakness.

"Pansy, go and get my dagger out of my trunk," Draco said, not taking his eyes off of Blaise. It was well known that in Fourth Year, Pansy gave Draco an antique dagger for Christmas, and Draco always had it at Hogwarts. It was also well known that the dagger was as good as new, as Draco always made sure that it was in top condition.

Blaise felt his resolve crumble. He knew that Draco wasn't kidding when he asked Pansy to retrieve his dagger. Draco would kill him if he didn't tell. After all, the blonde was a Malfoy, and Malfoys were known to be merciless.

"Okay, I'll tell," Blaise croaked out.

Draco smirked.

"Talk fast, Zabini, because if you don't tell me before Pansy comes back, the last thing you'll ever see is the end of my dagger."

Blaise gulped. This was not good.

"There's only one cure for this curse."

"And that would be?" Draco arched one eyebrow.

"To kiss the person you love."

Just then, Pansy came back with the dagger in hand. It had the Malfoy Crest on it, which meant that it must have been lost since it was not in Lucius's collection. The hilt was made of silver, with the Malfoy Crest engraved on it. A leather sheath enclosed the steel blade.

Draco carefully slid the dagger out of the sheath and held it tantalizingly in front of Blaise. The blade gleamed brightly, as if it had just come out of the forge.

"Blaise, tell me, do you think I should use this dagger on you?" Draco asked sweetly.

"I...I told you.....the....the way to cure....cure this curse," Blaise stammered.

The blonde Slytherin swung the dagger in front of Blaise's eyes, then nicked his cheek with the sharp blade. Crimson blood started flowing down Blaise's cheek.

"This is a reminder to you. Never mess with a Malfoy."

The dagger was slid carefully back into the sheath, and Pansy took it back into the dorms. The whole of Slytherin House witnessed this and was once again reminded of the power, cruelty, and mercilessness of the Malfoys. They knew from past experience that Draco wasn't finished with Blaise, and they were correct.

***

After letting go of Blaise, who crumpled pitifully on the floor, Draco took hold of Pansy.

"We need to go see Dumbledore. Arrangements need to be made."

Pansy looked at him questioningly.

"But where is his office?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure someone does. Which professor do you think is the most likely to tell us?"

"Definitely not Kyon. I doubt any other Head of House would be much help to us. And that Hagrid certainly wouldn't help a Slytherin. Neither would any of the others. The only one that might even consider helping us would be Lupin."

"Then we'll have to see Lupin."

"Are you sure? I mean, what are you going to tell him?"

"This is what you have to say, Pansy. Leave everything else to me."

***

Draco knocked on Lupin's door. Moments later, the door opened, and Lupin's head peeked out.

"Professor Lupin, sir, Draco's cousin, Dracina Moore, has decided to transfer here. I know it's really spur of the moment, but do you think you could lead us to Professor Dumbledore's office?"

Lupin's eyes swept over Draco, then nodded.

***

Moments later, Pansy and Draco were in Dumbledore's office.

"Who is this you have with you, Miss Parkinson?"

"Professor, sir, this is Dracina Moore, Draco's cousin. She'll be staying with us for a while."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily.

"Quite a dilemma you got yourself into, eh, Mr. Malfoy?"

"How did you know, Professor?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Mr. Malfoy, you'll stay in Slytherin. No doubt all your Housemates know what happened. To the rest of the school, you'll be gone for several months, and Miss Dracina Moore has come to take your place. However, your dilemma needs to be solved by the second contest, or else, you will be disqualified from the Founders' Pride, and I'm sure you wouldn't want that to happen."

Draco nodded.

"Thank you, Professor."

"No problem. Now, I suggest you go back to your common room. I'm sure that the party isn't halfway over yet."

***

Harry couldn't believe it. He was just one point behind Malfoy. One. If only he didn't stop and exchange all those meaningless lines with Malfoy. However, there's no way to change the past, so Harry vowed to do better.

None of the other Gryffindors seemed to be downtrodden. They were quite content with Harry in second place. After all, the slimy git Malfoy had forced Harry to show him, while Harry found it with help, not with use of force.

Ron had returned with loads of sweets, which he passed around to the Gryffindors. Harry found himself being asked to the All-Hollow's Eve Masquerade by quite a few girls, but he refused. Thank Merlin that the champions didn't have to go with partners.

There were only two months until the second contest, much shorter than the Triwizard Tournament. And the single-read parchment provided another problem. There had to be a spell that'll allow the words to transfer or something. Hermione was good with this, but Harry wasn't going to ask her. After all, he wasn't supposed to ask for help from anybody. But if he was really stuck, he would just ask her for a nice spell or something. As long as she didn't know. And if said correctly, he wouldn't be asking her to help him with the second contest.

***

Narcissa had written back with the most peculiar choice of words.

_Draco, I truly have no idea as to your choice of costume for the All-Hollow's Eve Masquerade, though if you were a girl, I'd recommend dressing up as a dryad. Your complexion would complement the look perfectly. And as for Victoria, I haven't been in contact with her for more than seventeen years. She's also usually the one to contact me, so I do not know where she might be._

These were not the replies Draco wanted to hear. Unable to contact Victoria?! And Narcissa called herself cousin to Victoria. Laughable. And for going as a dryad, well, it would certainly suit him now, what with this form.

This was absolutely horrid, and Draco was sure that Slytherin Hosue was going to make Blaise pay if he doesn't return to his normal form by the second contest. After all, it would be that fool's fault for his disqualification.

But if anything, the cure was even worse. To kiss the one you love. Oh goody. Draco wasn't capable of loving anyone else, at least not in that way. As soon as Narcissa had convinced him to go to Hogwarts, Lucius had started the Malfoy Upbringing that every Malfoy goes through. And when it was done, Draco wasn't even sure if he had a soul anymore. The only thing that Lucius didn't squash out of him was his love for Narcissa. And the Slytherin almost didn't come back from the Malfoy Upbringing.

Draco was sure that he could kiss the whole population of Hogwarts, and he would still remain a girl. It was impossible for him to fall in love with anyone, much less someone at Hogwarts. Gryffindors were too bloody noble, Slytherins married for their own gain, Ravenclaws thought too highly of themselves, and Hufflepuffs were nothing but a bunch of dunderheads. Maybe Diggory wasn't, but exceptions were few and far in between.

And to think he could fall in love with someone at Hogwarts in two months. They might as well be asking him to defeat You-Know-Who, purge Lucius of ambition for power, and find a potion to cure lycanthropy on the side.

In short, Draco Malfoy was very likely going to be stuck like this for the rest of his life. Or her life.

***

_He's slowly starting to find out about the truth, while the other is still shrouded in deception._

Victoria sighed. The final confrontation was growing nearer. And if the two pairs don't resolve their differences, then someone will surely die, and it won't be her. After all, she had been dead for what, about seventeen years?

Victoria laughed hollowly. Seventeen years since a part of the prophecy had been set off by her, more than nineteen years since Sirius Black stopped another part of the prophecy.

She was glad about what Morgan did. Personally, the woman was actually quite a good Witch, if a tad tense at times. But that was expected, given more than a millenium spent in an emerald and more than enough men chasing after her for their own gain.

But the famous Witch didn't have the fate of the world on her shoulders. Victoria still had her test to pass. And she had to pass on the magic to her son. So ignorant, the lot of them. Most of them only know about White and Dark Magic. The two most basic magics, and the two least powerful magics. To think, there were so many kinds of magic that would make any ordinary wizard's head spin.

Of course, the most powerful of all, Pure Magic. All the Firsts are Pure Magic. They'll only die when time and space are destroyed. Next, Creation Magic. Only able to be stopped by one method, which was in her book. Right underneath Creation Magic, God Magic.

Most magics had Light and Dark, just as White and Dark Magic were the Light and Dark Magics of Basic Magic. God Magic was divided into Ethereal Magic and Apocalypse Magic, again, Light and Dark.

God Magic was immediately followed by Power Magic and Ancient Magic.

Power Magic was divided into eight different kinds of magics, with Dragon Magic being the most powerful of them all. Closely following was Aether Magic, with the others as Air Magic, Water Magic, Fire Magic, Earth Magic, Metal Magic, and Wood Magic.

Of course, Ancient Magic also had magics underneath it. Chaos Magic and Primeval Magic, Dark and Light. Medieval Magic, the neutral one, and of course, the culture ones, African, Indian, American, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Aboriginal, and Amazonian. Not as powerful as Medieval Magic, but also neutral.

Underneath these two was Basic Magic, featuring the ever so lovely White and Dark Magic. Above them were Soul Magic, Mind Magic, and Heart Magic.

White and Dark Magic were the only magics that required a wand. All other magics were wandless. Many wizards couldn't master wandless magic, because for milleniums, wizards had been using wands. They didn't know how to focus their power without a tool to conduct it. Their magic had become weak. Now, only wizards that still had true magic running through their blood could harness wandless magic.

Victoria had mastered more than her share of these magics. Dragon Magic, of course, being who she was, also Chinese Magic, and all the Basic Magics. Not that it was enough.

No, Victoria knew for sure that the brother had already summoned the book of Apocalypse Magic and was now using it. And knowing all that was in no way enough. After all, only Ethereal Magic and above could defeat Apocalypse Magic, and if the last two slips through her fingers, then there won't be hope. But they won't. Firewind Dragon Prophecies have always come true.

***

Sunday morning found Dracina and Pansy cruising in Hogsmeade for a costume. Pansy had decided to go the Masquerade as a pixie, and they were now looking for a shop that would supply what they needed.

Most of the clothing shops supplied all manners of robes and muggle clothing, but nothing that they could use. Then, they stumbled upon a fairly new shop.

On the outside, there was a sign that said: Witchwear - Clothing For All Your Needs. The shop appeared as if it was just built, there wasn't any sign of decay nor any matter of grime nor dirt anywhere. In the display case, there were several dress robes. One, a midnight blue with diamonds sewn randomly on that resembled the night time sky. It was sure to blind someone if they looked at it too long. There was a crimson one that changed shades every few seconds, lighter, then crimson, then darker, then lighter again. And a yellow, glittery dress robe that seemed to be made of something resembling clouds; it just seemed so light. This might just be the place they were looking for.

When they entered, they found a very large selection of all kinds of clothing for witches, some things that were impossible to think of. And they could see that the owner had a booming business, seeing as how the whole female population of Hogwarts was probably crowded in here.

They watched Granger leave the shop, followed by the Patil twins and Brown. Soon, a woman wearing a black silk cloak over crimson dress robes studded with rubbies hurried over to them. Black hair was indistingushable from the cloak, and flecks of amber within brown eyes looked down at them.

"Here for the Masquerade tonight? What are you two ladies looking for?"

It was Morgan Le Fey, though a much nicer one, seeing as how she couldn't tell who Dracina was.

"A pixie costume, please."

"A dryad costume, please."

"Pixie and dryad? I've had quite a few orders for pixie, but you are the first one today for dryad. There was even a girl requesting a nymph costume a few moments ago, but not a single dryad. A very unique look, dryad, and not many can pull it off, but your features will complement the look perfectly. After all, not many girls have such good looks, and there are even less who can go to a Masquerade as a dryad."

Dracina stared at Morgan. They were almost the same words Mother had said. Almost.

"Come along now. I have some splendid outfits for the two of you."

Dracina and Pansy followed Morgan as they wove through the throng of people, now and then stopping as girls asked Morgan for advice. Finally, Morgan led the two Slytherins to a rack of clothing, where there were quite a few other witches crowding around.

"Pixie? What about this?"

Morgan showed them a dark, deep red pixie dress. It was strapless, and went down to the middle of the thighs. Pansy looked at it, wondering.

"Do you have a place where I can try this on?"

Morgan nodded.

"Sure, it's right over there."

When Pansy left, Morgan turned her attentions onto Dracina. She rummaged around until she found what she was looking for.

"Would this suit you?"

It was a dress, completely made of leaves, no doubt preserved with a Preservation Charm. And Dracina had to admit, the dress would be perfect for a dryad.

As Pansy came back, Dracina took a good look at her. She didn't look too bad, in fact, the dress enhanced her dark brown hair, and she seemed to glow with an unearthly light that attacted quite a few guys in the shop with their girlfriends.

"This is perfect! I'll take it!" Pansy squealed. "What about you, Dracina?"

Dracina glared at Pansy before walking into the dressing room herself. The dress may be made of leaves, but it felt smooth as silk on her bare skin. It was a dress with two straps, and the dress was about the same length as Pansy's. As Dracina looked at her reflection in the mirror, she felt as if she really was in a forest, as if she was amidst exotic plants and wildlife. There was something about her that suggested that she was a wild creature in the forests. The Slytherin had to admit, the dress did look good on her. Her pale blonde hair looked golden against the green, and the gray eyes seemed softer, more capable of emotion.

When she walked out of the dressing room, she found Pansy staring at her in awe.

"Dracina! What a lovely dress! I love it!"

"The two of you look splendidly lovely. You'll be the belles of the ball. And I have the perfect masks for you as well."

***

Harry found himself standing nervously in the dorms before the Masquerade.

"Don't worry about it, mate, it'll be just fine," a leprechaun said from beside him.

Ron, taking advantage of his red hair, had dressed up as a leprechaun. However, he wasn't the only one. It seemed that Seamus, being Irish, had the same idea, and the two boys were ignoring each other, each saying that the other stole his idea.

Harry was dressed as a vampire, in a black velvet cloak, maroon silk shirt, and black leather pants. It was a pity that he couldn't wear Sirius's gift to the Masquerade, but Harry was pretty sure that there was going to be another Yule Ball this year, which would be the chance to show off his fur cloak.

"Have any idea what 'Mione is going as?"

"Not a clue, mate. She wouldn't tell anyone."

"Good luck, Ron."

"Same to you, mate."

***

The Seventh Year Gryffindor boys made their way down to the entrance hall, where many people were already clustered, waiting for the Masquerade to start. There were all sorts of magical beings, pixies, faeries, vampires and vampiresses, leprachauns, etc.; it seemed like a meeting of the denizens of Narnia.

They watched as the Slytherins came up from their dungeon common room. Crabbe and Goyle were immediately noticed, as they were the only two in the school with such great bulks. However, Malfoy was no where in sight. Maybe he couldn't make it and would be disqualified.

Soon, the doors opened, and the student population of Hogwarts streamed in. The lights had been dimmed, and spotlights shone onto the stage. There were many round tables surrounding a central dance area, and a refreshment table at the place where the High Table usually stood. The Seventh Year boys grabbed a table to themselves.

As everyone settled in, a band climbed on stage. They seemed to be quite popular, according to the applause around the room.

"Blimey! I didn't think the Shrieking Sorcerers were going to be here! They are the hottest new band around!"

When the crowd quieted, the Shrieking Sorcerers struck a fast tune, and soon, people were asked to dance. Seamus and Dean stood up and went onto the dance floor. Neville had already met up with Ginny in the Gryffindor common room, which left only Ron and Harry sitting at the table. Moments later, Ron was asked to dance by a faerie, wearing a glittery white dress. She seemed to glow and radiate, as if she was something not of this world. Ron hastily left, not taking his eyes off the faerie, all thoughts of Hermione out of his mind.

***

Pansy had found someone to dance with within the first five minutes. It must have been the dress that she bought for 50 galleons. As Dracina had noticed, she seemed to be surrounded by an unearthly light, making her seem exotic and sensual.

Dracina, of course, wanted to avoid everyone as much as possible. She was not going to dance with anyone. Ah ha! There was a dark corner by the refreshment table! A wonderful place to observe the crowd.

***

The dance slowly dragged by for Harry, who still had not found someone to dance with. As the last song of the night struck up, he found himself by the refreshment table. As he prepared to pour himself some punch, the Gryffindor's eyes picked up something. He looked around him.

There, that must have been it. A lovely dryad was hiding in a corner. There was something about her that seemed familiar. Harry was attracted to her the same way a fire attracts a moth.

***

Dracina saw the vampire walking towards her. Shite. And to think, she had almost escaped.

"Would you care to dance?"

Dracina looked at him irritatingly. The next thing she knew, though, she had her her left hand on his right shoulder, his right hand was on her waist, and his left hand held her right, guiding her.

There was something about him. Something familiar about those emerald green eyes. No doubt, he did look quite handsome, what with the maroon silk shirt and black leather pants. Whoever he was, he had very good taste.

***

As Harry slowly guided the dryad around, the feeling that he knew her increased. She gave off the vibe of a wild, exotic creature, but nonetheless, she seemed familiar. Harry felt himself slipping into exotic jungles as they danced.

***

Dracina found herself starting to enjoy the dance. It was a slow song, and they were pivoting around ever so slightly. But she doubted that that was the reason why. It was who she was dancing with.

As she heard the song end, she looked up into those emerald eyes. So very very familiar. And unbeknownst by either, their faces were growing closer and closer.

***

Harry felt warm breath on his neck, and their bodies were moving closer together. He could feel her lungs moving up and down and her heart beating. Slowly, their lips touched.

***

Dracina felt warm lips engulf hers. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. Then all of a sudden, the Slytherin realized what she was doing. Dracina gently pulled back. She couldn't afford to be seen kissing anyone. Not that she didn't enjoy it.

The lights were back on in the Great Hall, and people everywhere were taking off their masks.

Dracina watched with growing apprehension as the vampire removed his mask.

Bloody shite. It was Potter.

***

Harry looked on as the dryad removed her mask. Pale blonde hair fell about her, and soft gray eyes gazed back at him. He couldn't tell the emotions in them. They were unreadable, like Malfoy's.

"May I ask who you are?"

"Dracina Moore."

"Will I see you again?"

"I wouldn't doubt it, Harry."

His name was pronounced softly and slowly, as if the person wasn't used to pronoucing the word. Dracina left quickly, and as he watched her exit, Ron came up beside him.

"Hot chick you got there, mate. Harry, you would not believe who the faerie was."

"Who?"

"Hermione."

***

Ron explained the whole thing to Harry as the two walked back up to Gryffindor Tower.

It seemed that the two had kissed also at the end of the last song, but when they took off their masks, the two Gryffindors were flabbergasted. Ron had a feeling that she had thought he was someone else, which was why she asked him to dance in the first place, which was also why he didn't ask her out.

Little did they know that Hermione thought the only reason Ron kissed her was because he thought she was someone else, and when he found out who she was, he regretted it.

***

Dracina made her way down to the dungeons with Pansy. It seemed that Pansy had quite a evening, as more than one person had asked her to dance. Pansy was extremely pleased and was babbling on and on. Of course, there was the occasional 'I wish I could have danced with Draco.'"

All Dracina could think of was Potter. Of all the people at Hogwarts she could have danced with and kissed, it had to be the blasted Potter. Everyone's Golden Boy. She just hoped that no one saw it. If her Housemates saw, then she would never live this down. Luckily, no one did.

***

After the Masquerade, the Slytherins were in the common room, talking. None were tired enough to go to bed.

Blaise was surrounded by the other Seventh Years as he bragged about shagging a Gryffindor Sixth Year. Dracina looked at him in disgust. Shagging a Gryffindor was not something to brag about.

"Draco, you're back!"

Pansy's squeal brought him out of his thoughts, and he realized that he was wearing very uncomfortable female clothing.

It seemed that the rest of Slytherin House had noticed, too, as a crowd gathered around him. Everyone wanted to know who Draco had kissed.

And it took Draco a moment to realize that he had only kissed one person the whole night. Bloody shite. No one was going to know about this anytime soon. Meaning never. Not even Mother.

_______________________________________

Thanks to:

Romilly McAran - I know, I don't like this Sirius either! But it's obvious that he's going to be prejudiced against Slytherins, especially since, well, I can't tell you. And he can't be fired, because we need someone who'll take Sev's place! He's also there to support Harry and stuff. Sirius won't play a major role in the story though, unless I find someone to pair him up with(definitely not a SB/NM!) And what do you mean by "What will Harry think when he finds out?!"?

PunKGirL - Thanks!!!! I know, I can't wait 'till they become a couple, but it won't happen for some time yet! ~tries to go to the future where she can write about H&D snogging~

And all readers!


	11. Chapter 11: Passion is Thicker Than Blo...

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 11

Passion is Thicker Than Blood

Monday morning found Harry scanning the Great Hall for a glimpse of Dracina. She had disappeared so abruptly the night before that he didn't even have a chance to ask her what House she belonged to, because he certainy didn't remember seeing her before at Hogwarts.

Emerald eyes looked around the Great Hall until they fell on Malfoy. His hair was down, the same way he had it when Harry was in the Mirror of Erised, and the way his hair looked resembled the way Dracina's hair fell about her. Maybe they were related.

***

Draco watched as many pairs of eyes stared at him as he made his way to the Slytherin table.

***

_"Draco, why don't you ever let your hair down? You look sooo much cuter in it," Pansy gushed._

"Father told me not to. Besides, you've seen me like this before, when we were little, remember?"

"No. I only remember you like this. However, I can see why Lucius told you not to. He thinks you'll want to try to get out of our marriage contract if you look better and more girls are after you, but you're already cute anyways, and everyone thinks you're mine, so I don't think it'll matter that much."

Draco laughed.

"He probably doesn't want me doing the same thing he did."

Pansy looked at him inquisitvely but said nothing, knowing full well that Draco will tell her if he wants to, and if he didn't, she couldn't get it out of him no matter what she tried, so it wasn't worth asking anyways.

***

Blaise looked quite apprehensive when he saw Draco, ready for the other Slytherin's revenge. However, Draco wasn't going to, not yet anyways. He wanted to lure Blaise into a sense of safety before he struck. Another lesson that Lucius taught him. Strike your enemies when they think that all is well.

As Draco sat down by Pansy, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. The blonde could see many jealous girls glaring at Pansy, and quite a few guys doing the same thing. Who would have thought that putting down his hair made such a difference?

Draco knew that Pansy was just trying to make everyone jealous. After all, it was well known that he and Pansy were engaged. She was just showing off "what was hers." "What was hers" being the key word.

***

After breakfast, as Draco exited out of Great Hall, Harry quickly went after him.

"Malfoy!"

Draco froze. No.

"Potter!" he managed to spat.

The blonde turned around and faced the Gryffindor.

"Malfoy, do you know Dracina Moore?"

The insults and jeers running through Draco's head halted. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"No," the Slytherin snapped, a little too quickly, then turned on his heel and walked away.

Harry stared at Malfoy, confused. Malfoy didn't insult him. But the way he replied so fast, it seemed that maybe he did know her. Were they cousins, and he was angry about her dancing with him? Harry made a mental note to visit the Library, where he knew there were books about bloodlines.

***

Draco did not like the way that things were going. Potter was not going to find out about what happened the previous night. In fact, Draco would cast a Memory Charm, but he was sure that even if Potter found out, he would want to save his reputation just as much as Draco would, which meant that he probably wouldn't tell.

It couldn't be real. It couldn't. He wasn't supposed to be able to love, how could he? Lucius had told him that love was a weakness, something to use to one's advantage to conquer enemies. Love always made people weak, and using love against a wizard is the best way to defeat him.

Lucius had stated clearly that Pansy was just someone he was going to sleep with to procreate an heir. Also, the older Malfoy wanted a Parkinson in the family because he knew that the Parkinsons were also rich and powerful, and that could greatly help the Dark Lord.

Who would have thought that as Pansy grew older, she would fall for Draco, hard? No one expected that out of a Parkinson because Parkinsons married for the good of the bloodline, always. Never had there been an exception.

Draco had basically already broken off the marriage with Pansy, though they won't announce it until both her parents and Lucius are dead. Narcissa wouldn't really mind. However, he did not think that Potter was the one he loved. Draco didn't hate Potter, not anymore. He had been angry that the raven-haired boy had rejected his friendship, and he had hated Potter, but now, it was just a show to put on for everyone, as he was the son of You-Know-Who's second-hand man, and Potter was the damn Boy Who Lived.

If Draco really liked Potter, then it would have come from passion. He had hated Potter with a passion for six years, and it was well known that hate wasn't the only thing fueled by passion.

Draco wished that he could cast a Memory Charm on himself and make him forget the whole bloody night. He vowed to never think about it again.

***

For the first time in seventeen years, Victoria smiled. Things were starting to come together, now if only the other part would do the same thing.

She knew that it wasn't true, what they all thought, but it wasn't time to get to him yet. Victoria didn't want him to suffer, but it was for the good of everything. He shouldn't have suffered the way he did, he had been suffering since Seventh Year, and he never stopped.

However, she could do nothing. She could only watch as he took the wrong side, and he almost didn't come back, all thanks to the jealousies of Black. But he did, and she was glad. Without him, it can't succeed.

And what they thought about Tom was even more false. None of them knew the real truth, only her, the granddaughter, the grandson, and Tom himself. And she couldn't tell the truth, not for her purposes, and she knew that the other three wouldn't either. Or in Tom's case, couldn't.

Victoria knew exactly why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry. A simple mistake really, but it helped save her son, and for that, she was grateful. Besides, Lily had unwittingly set off a Soul and Heart Magic spell that saved Harry from Dark Magic.

For sixteen years, there was peace. And she waited, but it seemed that Narcissa hadn't kept her promise. At least, not until now. She truly thought that he couldn't be brought back, but Narcissa managed to do it. However, Narcissa was too emotionally attached, and that wasn't good for her. For her or for Draco.

***

Draco was not looking forward to potions, but when you're dreading something, time speeds up. Soon, he was sitting next to Potter in the dungeons, listening to a Gryffindor-biased Professor teaching class.

"Professor Binns has kindly asked me to teach this potion to you, as I know that in History of Magic, you are expected to write three scrolls on an ancestor of yours. Thus, we will be making the Family Tree Potion today. The instructions are on the board. When you are done, you may drink it."

Draco didn't really care about the potion. He had plenty of ancestors to choose from. The Malfoys were descended from the DeVrai Family, a very powerful and old French family. Malfoys carried the last of the DeVrai blood. There were no more wizards that carried the proud name of DeVrai as their last name. In fact, Grindelwald was the last person carrying the surname of DeVrai, though that was lesser known knowledge. Draco could count the number of people who knew that on one hand.

And on Narcissa's side were the Moores, another old and powerful family. The Moores had always been a prestigious English family, one that produced many famous witches and wizards. Draco was the joining of three powerful bloodlines; the Slytherin was definitely full of magical power, something he had proven in his childhood days.

The Malfoys themselves, before the joining with the DeVrai, were another powerful family from France. They had moved to England during the French Revolution and had stayed ever since, becoming an influential member of the Wizarding community in England, even more so than the Weasleys, who were rumored to be related to Queen Elizabeth I. In the 40's, Lucius's half-uncle Aquila Malfoy had worked against Grindelwald, weakening him enough so that Dumbledore could defeat him. He and his father were the only two living humans who knew about this, though. Aquila Malfoy was also well known in the Muggle world. He went by Winston Churchill, and his death was actually due to Draco's grandfather poisoning him before the old man died. Before Theodore Malfoy had died though, he had disowned Aquila from the family, which was why he wasn't really counted as part of the Malfoys. Draco didn't need to use the potion. He had enough famous ancestors to write ten essays on. And there'll probably still be hundreds more left over.

Harry, however, was quite excited over finding out who he was related to. Never knowing his relatives, the Gryffindor wanted to know whose lineage he carried. He eagerly prepared the ingredients while Draco pounded his leeches dully, grinding them into a bloody pulp before Harry stopped the Slytherin from causing severe damage to his pestle. Harry had the feeling that Malfoy wanted to grind him into a bloody pulp from the murderous look the blonde gave him, but the Gryffindor was not going to let Malfoy ruin the potion.

***

Draco ladled a bit of the magenta potion from the cauldron and held it to his lips, quickly draining the potion. When he closed his eyes, he could see a family tree in front of him. The Slytherin could see him branching off of Narcissa Moore and Lucius Malfoy.

As Draco traced Narcissa's family upwards, he found many famous names, such as Henry Moore, the man who discovered the Wolfsbane Potion; Jacob Moore, the person who found the potion to reverse splinching; Emma Jamieson, the witch who lived among the centaurs, etc.

All of a sudden, Draco stopped abruptly. Never had he thought that the Moores were descended from such a powerful person. No wonder Narcissa had been put in Ravenclaw. In capital letters was the name Rowena Ravenclaw, standing out like a beacon to Draco.

***

After Malfoy drank the potion, Harry ladled another spoonful of the potion and sipped it. When the Gryffindor blinked, he thought he could see something; Harry closed his eyes, and a family tree appeared before him.

Above his name were the names of James Potter and Lily Evans. Knowing that his mother was Muggle-born, Harry started to trace his father's family. The Gryffindor didn't recognize a single name he saw. That is, until he saw a name that made him realize what Dumbledore meant by true Gryffindor. The name Godric Gryffindor, in capital letters, etched in his mind.

***

Draco had traced the Moores up until he saw a joining between a Malfoy and a Moore. The Slytherin could see another Malfoy joined to a name that he couldn't recognize, though it looked to be in some Asian language. Out of curiosity, the blonde traced the family.

None of the names were in English, though, except the very last one. In parentheses by the name were the capital letters Victoria York. And Draco assumed that to be Narcissa and Lucius's cousin Victoria. Underneath her name was the name Draco York. Where the father's name should be, there was an empty void. As he traced up, he felt a sharp pain in his head, and this happened every time he tried to trace the identity of the father. No doubt someone had cast a spell so that no one could discover the father of Draco York.

Draco traced back up the family until he could see the juncture between Léonce Malfoy and Rosette DeVrai. The Slytherin knew that the Malfoys already had DeVrai blood in them, due to the marraige between Nicholas Malfoy and Honorine DeVrai in the 3rd Century. When Draco traced back down, he saw something shocking.

***

Harry traced back down the Potter line, hoping to find someone famous in the Evans bloodline. However, as he traced down, a name caught his eye. No, it was impossible.

Harry opened his eyes and looked beside him. Malfoy was glaring at him.

"I never knew that one of my ancestors had the bad taste of marrying a Potter."

"Your ancestor had bad taste? He's lucky that a Potter would want him."

"Anyone would want to be with a Malfoy, Potter. Everyone knows that. After all, the Malfoys carry the blood of the two most powerful French families. The Potters might be descended from Gryffindor, but they are in no way as powerful as Malfoys."

"You wish, Malfoy. I wouldn't be surprised if Evangeline was forced into marrying Leon."

"No Malfoy in their right mind would force a Potter to marry them. Potters are not worth it. We prefer to associate with higher classes, such as the Moores."

"So you do know Dracina, don't you? After all, you just said that you associate with the Moores."

Draco could not believe he made such a fatal mistake. Damnit.

"For your information, Potter, I know nothing about what you're talking about. And even if I did, why should I tell the lowly members of society what I know, especially a Half-blood?" Draco drawled.

Harry was about to respond when the class was dismissed by Kyon. Malfoy quickly packed his stuff and left the dungeons, leaving Harry alone to clean up his cauldron.

***

Harry had found a few bookcases full of books over bloodlines. His eyes caught on the spine of a book.

_Wizarding Bloodlines of Europe: All the Prominent Wizarding Families Included! 26th Edition, with new updated info!_

Harry took the book down and went to sit at a table. Out of curiosity, he looked up Potter first.

On the top left corner of the page was the Potter Coat of Arms, a griffin holding a heart in its claws, on a background of gold. To the right of it were the words Ancestral Home and Youngest Living Descendant.

POTTER

Ancestral Home: Godric's Hollow

Youngest Living Descendant: Harry James Potter

The Potters are prominent members of the Wizarding community and well known as descendants of Godric Gryffindor, one of the founders of Hogwarts. It is rumored that the Potters can control fire, though that was never proven. The Potters lived at Godric's Hollow, where Gryffindor himself had lived. Perhaps the most famous Potter of them all is Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. He was able to deflect Avada Kedavra upon He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, one of the Darkest Wizards that ever existed. Harry Potter currently attends Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and is in his Seventh Year. He is a member of Gryffindor House, like all the members of his family. Currently, he is competing in the Founders' Pride for the honor of his whole family.

Next, Harry looked up Weasley. The Weasley Coat of Arms was a lion and a bicorn standing on their hind legs and holding a crown, with a half golden, half black background, divided by a diagonal slash in the middle.

WEASLEY

Ancestral Home: The Burrow

Youngest Living Descendant: Virginia Elizabeth Weasley

The Weasleys are one of the oldest English Wizarding families in existence and is rumored to be related to Queen Elizabeth I, the first Witch to become Queen of England. The Weasleys have always been on the side of Light and have assisted Dumbledore with the defeat of Grindelwald and the first defeat of You-Know-Who. However, due to mismanagement of the family fortune, the Weasleys have declined in wealth over the years. It appears, though, that the family fortune is once again increasing, with the help of the two most mischievious Weasleys that ever existed, the twins Fred and George and their joke shop Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, which has attracted many customers, even more than when Zonko's first opened. With Cornelius Fudge's rapid decline in popularity, many has speculated that Arthur Weasley will take over the position of Minister of Magic.

Finally, Harry looked up Moore. On the top left hand corner of the page was a stag, with a crimson rose in the background, all on a blanket of silver.

MOORE

Ancestral Home: Alluring Zephyr

Youngest Living Descendant: Narcissa Adela Moore

The Moores are one of the most powerful English families. They are the first Wizarding family of England and is known to be against the Dark side. All Moores are capable of wandless magic, which they receive education in after their last year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Moores are descendents of Rowena Ravenclaw, though that is a lesser known fact. The family is still quite upset about their youngest daughter, Narcissa Moore, who has been disowned from the family. She is now the wife of Lucius Malfoy, who is suspected to be a Death Eater by much of the Wizarding community. The last time a Moore married a Malfoy was in the 1200's, an arranged marriage that benefited both families.

If Dracina was the youngest living descendant, then she would have been listed instead of Narcissa Malfoy. That is, unless...No, it's impossible.

But what if she didn't want to divulge her last name? That was possible, more possible than the previous option. Yes, that's it.

While he was thinking, his hands had taken on a life of their own, and when he looked back down at the book, he found that he was on a page he didn't particularly care about.

The Coat of Arms was a silver dragon holding a dark red heart up with its wings, all set on a field of golden yellow.

MALFOY

Ancestral Home: Malfoy Château

Youngest Living Descendant: Draco Lucius Malfoy

The Malfoys are one of the most powerful French famlies, once rivaled only by the DeVrai Family. A marriage between the families happened twice, once in the 3rd Century, and once in the 13th Century. Now, they are the only wizards that still carry DeVrai blood, as the last DeVrai died in the 1940's, before the Grindelwald War. Both families have always been known for indulging in the Dark Arts, and the Malfoys are suspected to be on the Dark side during the Grindelwald War and the Voldemort Wars, especially the one that is occuring now. It was a surprise when Lucius Malfoy married Narcissa Moore, as the Moores are on the side of Light. The only other time the two families joined was also during the 13th Century, the Malfoy being one of the sisters of Léonce Malfoy, the Malfoy who married Rosette DeVrai. It is rumored that the only reason Lucius was not disowned was due to the family's lack of another heir. Their son, Draco Malfoy, is a Seventh Year in Slytherin House and competing in the Founders' Pride, against Harry Potter. It is very possible that he will win, since he has the blood of three of the most powerful Wizarding families in him.

So Malfoy wasn't kidding when he said that the Malfoys carried the blood of the two most powerful French families. But why did he say that he associated with the Moores, if they were on opposite sides? Narcissa wasn't even really a Moore anymore...Unless the Slytherin didn't want him to know about Dracina, who she trully was.

Harry knew that he was in love. When he saw Dracina at the Masquerade, he had immediately fallen for her, and hard. Now, after that kiss, he couldn't get her out of his heart, no matter what he tried. Love and hate were both fueled by passion, and how ironic that his archrival held the key to the one he loved.

___________________________________________

Thanks to:

Dreamer

Liz

nightwing

mandraco

tenshimagic - Yes, she is!!! In this world, she was tricked, forced, and then trapped in the emerald because they knew she would try to get revenge.

Romilly McAran - I know the change was fast, but I didn't want Draco being a girl to be a major part of the story, just enough so I can write them kissing for once and then they go back to being enemies until Yule, when they become friends, though I can't tell you why.

PunKGirL - Thanks again!!! Draco will try to push it all back, so not a lot of fun there. Harry will figure it out after they become friends, but the boys won't be friends till Yule. And Pansy won't be evil, she gets paired up with a very surprising person. And Ron and Hermione will get together, but not until about Easter.

A wonderful anonymous reviewer who didn't leave their name!

And all readers!

Edited 10/23/02


	12. Chapter 12: The Sand Man and the Riddle...

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 12

The Sand Man and the Riddle Master

November had come to the world. Red and gold leaves swirled around in the cool autumn wind before bidding it good-bye and drifting down to their resting place. The branches of trees grew barer and barer; brown was everywhere in nature, in the barks of trees, in the soil on the ground. The green had gone away with promises of another fulfilling spring.

Hogwarts was another customer of autumn's redecorating. Quite a few trees in the Forbidden Forest were deciduous, their branches bare, piles of leaves around their trunks, waiting to decompose. Other trees had green needles, ones that they didn't shed during autumn. Cool winds blew outside, penetrating the thin robes the students wore, making them shiver.

***

Moonlight danced upon the lake. All was quiet at Hogwarts, save for the periodic hooting of the owls and the snores drfting out the windows.

The lake was peaceful and serene. The giant squid lay in its burrow, resting for another day of catching food from the students and hunting for itself. The mermen and mermaids were slumbering in their houses, some tossing and turning, others dreaming of a more desirable life.

In Gryffindor Tower, a boy lay in bed, a peaceful smile on his face. His mind was swimming with happy images, of times long gone, of times that never were.

***

_A young boy with messy black hair and brilliant emerald eyes climbed down the ladder on the side of the bunk bed. His foot stepped on something soft. The green eyes widened as a groan issued from below._

Grey eyes opened and fell on the boy.

"You!"

The blonde leapt out of bed and aimed a punch at the other boy. The punch hit his stomach and knocked the wind out of him. He fell to the floor with a thud.

"It was an accident, I swear!"

"The same excuse? How pathetic are you?"

The blonde boy, spurred on by the other boy's defense, started punching and kicking the other boy. They were only disentangled when the couselors arrived. The black-haired boy had two black eyes, a bloody nose, and several cuts on his lips. His face was bloated and swollen, turning a nasty purple. His eyes were so swollen that he couldn't see out of them.

"Mr. Moore, explain yourself."

"He stepped on me while he was climbing down the ladder and then made an excuse so he could pretend that he didn't do it on purpose."

"That does not..."

"It was an accident!! I have better things to do than to step on people!"

"Quit lying! You know you want attention!"

"Mr. Moore, Mr. Evans, the two of you will be put isolation until you can solve your conflict. Pack your stuff, and don't come back until you're friends."

***

Dark clouds gathered together in the sky, ready to loose their anger upon the world. They opened their floodgates, and rain pelted down to earth. Lightning, seeing his chance to show off, flashed to earth every few seconds, cutting off the electricity in many a place. Thunder boomed with laughter at his friend's antics. Winds had also arrived, running here and there, trying to knock down as much as they can.

In a leaky cabin at Winston's Summer Camp For Boys, two boys huddled on opposite sides of the room. Rain constantly dripped down from the ceiling. The wind penetrated the cabin through cracks in the walls, making the two boys shiver. There was a good chance both boys would catch pneumonia.

Drake wanted his mother. She would sweep him in a hug and comfort him, holding him until the storm left. His mother was the best mother in the world. She always gave him whatever he wanted and did whatever he wanted, and he wanted to be back with her. She had only convinced him to go with the books; Drake, though, was starting to regret coming here. He imagined his mother's arms around him, delicate hands stroking his hair and back, smelling the same way it smelled after a summer storm - clean, pure, and refreshing.

Henry wanted a friend. He had never been able to have friends. His cousin was a bully and disliked him immensely, and all the other children at school avoided him, fearing to get on his cousin's bad side. His parents had been dead ever since he was one; they died in a car crash, and he had been stuck with his aunt and uncle ever since, the only relatives he had in the world.

With the wooden floor constantly being soaked, they moved closer and closer until they were sitting next to each other.

Unconsciously, Henry said, "I'm scared."

A snide remark was about to roll off Drake's tongue until he looked at Henry. Henry was small and skinny, wearing baggy clothes that were no doubt hand-me-downs, and looking truly pitiful.

"You know, I really didn't mean that. The first time, someone did push me into you, but you just didn't believe me. And I swear, I didn't mean to step on your hand. It's too....delicate to bruise," he said to himself.

And Drake found himself wanting to believe him, no, beliving him.

"I forgive you," he whispered.

Henry turned to look at the blonde.

"Really?" he asked softly.

Drake nodded.

"But why?"

"I doubt you would say that my hand's too delicate to bruise if you didn't really mean it."

Henry blushed.

"I didn't realize that I was actually talking."

"Forget it, Henry."

Silence reigned in the room.

"You know, we could have been friends, if you never fell into me," Drake said softly.

"It's not too late to start. Summer's not over yet."

***

It was the end of camp. Boys went to wait for their buses, saying good-bye to their new-found friends and promising to meet again someday. Drake and Henry stood next to each other.

"There's a good chance we'll never see each other again, Henry."

"Drake, promise me that one day, you'll come visit me."

"I will."

The blonde caught sight of a limo.

"Bye, Henry. This was the best summer I've ever had."

"Same here."

The two boys stepped briefly into a hug, and then Drake walked away, towards his mother.

***

Harry woke up. The dream was...strange, yet nice in a way. And deep down in his mind, the Gryffindor could remember what happened over that summer, the summer he made his first true friend. Pity that Drake wasn't a Wizard.

***

Draco also awoke. He remembered now, the boy named Henry. Henry had been a true friend, like Pansy, but Draco had never been able to see him again. There was no doubt that Henry was a Muggle; it was a Muggle camp. The only reason he went was because Narcissa convinced him with the same books he was using now.

Singing drifted in through a window. The blonde scowled. Fuck Zabini. The stupid Limnad/Siren didn't know the meaning of shut up. Draco's original intention was to turn the other boy into a Siren. However, when Narcissa sent the instructions, Draco had misread a few, turning the brown-haired Slytherin into a hybrid, part Limnad, part Siren.

***

_At breakfast, while the mail was dropped whistling down to the tables by the circling owls, eager to fly back to the Owlery for some rest, nobody noticed Blaise's sudden choke. That is, except Draco._

Soon, Lupin ran down from the High Table to the gasping boy. Or Limnad/Siren. Long brown hair fell down the shoulders, and the body was wrapped in a cerulean dress, seemingly made of water, the way it flowed and rippled. Blaise had turned...beautiful, at least for a girl.

As soon as Blasie was set in the lake, the singing began. The meldoy and the tone was unbelievably beautiful and touching, and many a boy found themselves wandering down by the lake, some even jumping in, trying to swim after the new inhabitant of the lake.

Limnads were a type of Naiads, water nymphs. They were the nymphs of lakes and lured people to their deaths by mimicking screams of distressed people. Sirens were beautiful women with the lower body of a bird that sang harmonious melodies to lure sailors to their deaths.

Blaise, of course, tried to kill anyone who was foolish enough to jump in. Several students had to be rescued from the Limnad/Siren's clutches. Even though warnings had been made, there were still a few students who were stupid enough to jump in, especially after hearing her songs.

***

Draco covered his ears with his pillow. With Veela blood in him, he was safe against all charms meant to seduce him, but the singing was annoying. However, Draco didn't regret it. No one goes around treating Malfoys like that. No one.

The professors had been looking for a cure, but Draco doubt that they would find it anytime soon. Especially since he botched the potion, but hey, that wasn't a bad thing after all.

***

That week, in Charms, Professor Flitwick taught them all the Transcribing Charm.

Hermione was not happy.

"To think I could have saved all that work when I studied for O.W.L.s! But I'm glad we're learning this. It could save me so much work for N.E.W.T.s, which by the way, is in seven months! I suggest the two of you start studying in January. Harry, you might not have to take end-of-year exams, but you still have to take the N.E.W.T.s, and they are very important!"

"Knowing Hermione, she probably started studying for N.E.W.T.s over the summer," whispered Ron to Harry.

Harry was glad, and he paid much attention to Professor Flitwick. This charm was going to be useful with the one-read parchment.

***

Draco felt that Flitwick was unfairly helping the other chamipons. He himself had already transcribed the words on the parchment, though with a Displacing Charm that he had learned in Second Year.

***

_Draco had opened all his Yule presents except for one. The one from Pansy._

The gift was wrapped in silver, with pale gold ribbons tied around it. It was heavy, very. What kind of present could be so weighty?

The Slytherin carefully unwrapped the ribbons and peeled back the silver paper. In it was a book, bound by black leather. The title read "Handy Spells for Any Wizard, including Dark hexes and curses."

Well, this would prove very useful. And the blonde wondered how Pansy managed to get her hands on one. He turned to her.

"Where did you get this book?"

"Oh, that?" Pansy asked lightly. "If you really want to know, I asked that git Lockhart to sign me a note allowing access to the Restricted Section. I said it was for research, and he believed me. I swear, does that man even have anything in his head? And I used a charm in it to create two books just like it, one for you and one for me."

Draco kissed Pansy fondly on the cheek.

"Pansy, you really do know me well. You would make a great wife."

***

The parchment held a riddle. No doubt the test of Ravenclaw, who always had a thing for brains, something that almost none of his Housemates had. Even Draco felt a bit perplexed about this one.

Silver eyes, a family trait,

Orphaned, yet held no hate.

Dragon blood runs through her veins,

Her destiny is full of pains.

Gryffindor, yet stronger,

Love made her fonder,

A Slytherin she was to hate,

Though that was not her fate.

Love made her different,

She never was diffident.

Gryffindor Head Girl, she was,

Slytherin Head Boy, he was.

Though they couldn't ever be,

Love wouldn't set her free,

Last seen long ago,

Still trying to save her foe.

Not a Malfoy, though with their blood,

Raised by Muggles, though with no Mud,

More powerful than Him, not impossible,

But is she really true and plausible?

To find what you need, in a painting,

Don't be surprised, no need for fainting,

When asked, give you and your mother's name,

Be sure to do this, and you'll be game.

To realize true feeling, best look inside,

Otherwise, many more will die,

Once discovered, can this go on,

Pain and suffering will be long.

Trust in your heart,

Go for the hart,

Just this simple need, not greed,

The truth will set you free.

To tell the truth, Draco had absolutely no clue what this meant. And the situation on Victoria was not improving. He had written Narcissa, of course, to provide him with useful information, namely everything she knew.

***

When Harry finally sat down and opened his parchment, of course casting a Transcribing Charm on it as soon as he unrolled it, he found it to be a riddle.

__

This must be Ravenclaw's Test.

And when he finished reading it, the riddle confused him greatly.

Brilliant and handsome, not always known,

Once known happiness, though now alone.

A tough life and bad decision he made,

With bad consequences up to date.

Slytherin Head Boy, obviously so,

That was certain, from the get go.

He had once known love, though now long past,

The love from her although did last.

Gryffindor Head Girl, that was the one,

Quite unusual, said and done.

Can be more powerful than he,

Though most people don't believe.

Now spreading terror and destruction,

Tainted by power and corruption,

Once stopped but now come back,

Great powers he doesn't lack.

Look for him, in a painting,

It's who you think, so no fainting,

Tell him Victoria, when he asks,

Then you'll be able to complete your task.

Free your feelings to move in the game,

Love's not just a name, or fame.

Though the way might be painful and hard,

Many will die if you don't play this card.

Believe in your feelings,

Trust its dealings,

The dragon looms and waits,

Set yourself free, 'tis your fate.

As far as Harry could tell, this made no sense at all. Hermione was good at this, not him. How was he supposed to figure this out?

_________________________________________

Thanks to:

tenshimagic

Liz

And all readers!

Edited 10/23/02


	13. Interlude: What Tangled Webs We Weave

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Interlude

What Tangled Webs We Weave

It was all a kaleidascope of swirling images. Images of happy faces, of times when he believed that everything would work out. Back when he still had Her, when She was still there for him.

But He had come in and ruined it. He had convinced him, made Her leave.

She had won against Him. He had been livid, but nothing could have been done under Dumbledore's nose. And He never did understand how She had won against Him.

She had come to him, and He had let him go, let him once again hold Her, to kiss Her and touch Her, to feel Her, to smell Her, to bury his face at the crook of Her neck, to leave flaming trails of kisses on Her, to bring Her to Heaven and back, to lay beside Her after passion, to snuggle against Her, and wishing that it could always be like this, just the two of them together.

But She always left afterwards. At first, He said cruel things about Her when She hadn't come back after a while. But then, He discovered his weakness and told him that She used him for sex, right after She left.

And he believed Him. She was gone, now, he hadn't seen Her since that last time. And He had taken control. Back then, He was in control half of the time, but now, he could barely break His hold. And he could do nothing to stop Him, or get Her back, tell Her that he was sorry, make it all up to Her.

It was too late. He would die a man trapped inside himself, never being able to control his own life, never being able to do what he wanted. Never being able to see Her one last time.

***

Narcissa glanced at her mirror, noting the perfect golden hair, cascading down her back like a waterfall. Perfect blue irises, enclosed around a perfect black pupil. Perfect widow's peak. Perfectly delicate mouth, a perfectly deep red color. Perfectly ivory skin, that seemed paler than ever.

She would give her beauty up to have him home. Lucius had no time during the summer, what with corrupting Draco and all that. But she had managed to live up to her promise and bring him back. Victoria would have been absolutely furious if she didn't.

Ever since three years ago, with the return of You-Know-Who, Lucius had been gone, always. She missed him, missed his touch, his kisses, his hands, how he made her feel like an angel, a god. But ever since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's return, Lucius had been gone. She knew what he did, of course. But she wished that he would stop. You-Know-Who would fall, and then Lucius would be gone.

Nothing was going well. Draco had written, asking her for information on Victoria. And she couldn't tell him the things that truly mattered. She had promised her cousin, and the truth would tear Draco apart.

That potion she had brewed seven years ago had had no effect, either. At least, Draco hadn't been telling her about anything changing. This was especially not good, as Draco needed someone's support on the other side. Pansy couldn't count, though she would be on whatever side Draco was on.

And Lucius, her main worry. He always had been. She worried about him finding out, about him injured, about him caught. It had taken her such a long time to get through to him, to open him up. He seemed so cold to everyone, but then, no one else knew him as well as she did. No one knew the true Lucius Malfoy, except for Narcissa.

***

He had been here for how long? He didn't know. He had lost all track of time ever since...ever since he lost the ultimate game. He had thought that he would be killed, but it looked like He had other plans.

He was in a dungeon, chained against a decaying wall, with mold and other disgusting objects growing on it. All around him were corpses, some with flesh still rotting, others just bone, some turning black with age.

He had been beaten, starved, raped, tortured...The list went on and on, but he couldn't give up. He had hope that Victoria would come. He had promised her so long ago, and he knew she would come.

A rat scampered over to him, sniffing at his filthy robes. Merlin, when was the last time he had had a bath? Or even changed clothes? Dried blood and semen crusted his robes, or what was left of them. The robes themselves were torn in many places, many ripped during acts of lust. When was the last time that life had treated him favorably?

He laughed harshly. The door creaked open. Here He comes, with the daily torture. If he survived this, if he could see *him* one last time, he would tell *him* that he was sorry. He would give anything to look into those hazel eyes with the amber gold flecks in them.

As the spikes tore through his body, reopening wounds newly healed, he screamed loudly. He liked him screaming when He tortured him. Maybe He'll go easy on him. But he doubted it.

***

Lucius looked up at the night sky. His poor Narcissa. The Malfoy hadn't been able to return home, what with all the plans the Death Eaters had had to make. Sometimes, he wondered what life would be like if he wasn't a Death Eater.

He hadn't been there for her for three years. Three bloody years, from the day the Dark Lord had rerisen. Lucius knew that Narcissa waited for him, but it pained him to know that he was the cause of her suffering.

The blonde missed lying beside her at night, holding her delicate body in his arms, whispering sweet nothings into her ear as they made love, as the night deepened and darkened, as the stars moved in the night sky. No one could make him feel the same way Narcissa did.

Malfoys weren't capable of love. And Lucius believed everything his father had told him, until he met Narcissa. The Ravenclaw who refused to give up, until she finally broke through his walls and saw the real Lucius. And she was able to melt the ice around his heart, to show him what love is. All because she had saved his life.

***

Remus Lupin tossed and turned in his sleep at Hogwarts. There were happier times once, for all of them, when they were still foolish young men with foolish notions of happily ever after, foolish notions of how love would make everything all right.

He dreamt of the past, of happier times, back when he still had *him*.

***

_"You wanted to meet me?" Remus asked._

"Yes," a shadow by the wall replied. "I'm glad Victoria brought us together, Remy, I really am. And you, you're different from all your friends. You're the only nice one. Potter's a hotshot, Black's his sidekick, and Pettigrew's nothing. But you, you outshine all of them. I guess what I'm trying to say is that...well..."

He stepped foward and cupped Remus's cheek.

"You have beautiful lips, Remy," he breathed. Then, he leaned down and kissed them.

Remus was shocked at first, but once he was over it, he eagerly returned the kiss. Passion and love were eminent in the kiss between the two young men as they expressed what they felt for each other in a dark corridor in Hogwarts.

He drew apart.

"Remy, you're everything to me. Everything."

***

Remus woke up to find tears coursing down his face. Oh, the good old days. What he would give to have them back again, to have *him* back. They had never been able to repair their relationship after what had happened, and now, *he* was gone.

They had only spent one night together before everything fell apart, but that one night was pure bliss. Remus wanted to lie in his arms again, to rest his head against his chest, to have those arms hold him and make him feel that only the two of them existed.

Only fools think of the past and what could have been. Remus was in no way a fool, but Fate had never been kind to him. First the lyncathropy, and just when he thought that life was finally letting up, he lost his one true love. Life sucked a lot.

***

The owls swooped around the ceiling, looking for their owners before diving down and dropping parcels, letter, packages, and newspapers to the addressees.

On _The Daily Prophet_, the bold headlines screamed at Draco.

_Eleven Attacks on England in One Night!!! Dark Mark Seen in the Air!!!_

Many whispers and fearful glances were exchanged in the Great Hall.

_Lucius sure had a fun night._

Draco primly folded the newspaper and set it aside.

____________________________

Thanks to:

Shinigami - Yep, you're right! Anyone who pays attention in this story is bound to get it right! Of course, Draco doesn't know everything we know, so he doesn't know yet. And Harry doesn't know that much either, but they'll figure it out.

And all readers!

Edited 10/24/02


	14. Chapter 13: The Candle is Lit

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 13

The Candle is Lit

Chilly winds blew fiercely outside. Light snow had fallen, blanketing everything in a thin layer of glaring white, now and then brown from muddy footprints. The corridors of Hogwarts were colder than ever; no warmth was present in the worn stone hallways, even with the extra torches placed into the sconces on the walls.

The term was nearly over. Just one more week, and Yule would arrive. Hermione and Ron had apologetically told Harry that they were going home for Yule, Hermione to protect her parents and spend time with them, Ron just to spend time with his family. The unspoken words of "Maybe this is the last Yule I'll ever have with all of my family" hung in the air. Even Bill and Charlie were going home for Yule.

Attacks in Great Britain were now occuring daily, once with fifteen attacks in one night. The pupils of Hogwarts were now fearful and suspicious of the Slytherins, more so than ever, though none dared to strike, fearing for their families. A dreary and depressive winter had come to Hogwarts, and Draco and Harry were no closer to solving their riddles than when they had first received it.

***

The Monday before the second contest had arrived. Harry and Draco were now frantic, as their riddles were still unsolved. Narcissa had not written back to Draco, which was really agitating the blonde. He was going to make a total fool of himself at the second contest, and the Slytherin could not afford that. Not unless he wanted to make Lucius angry, so angry that even Narcissa wouldn't be able to pacify him.

On top of that, on Yule, there would be a Yule Ball, and the champions were required to attend with partners. As there would virtually be no students left at Hogwarts since break started the day after the second contest, Harry didn't understand why there would still be a ball. At least he would be able to show off the fur cloak from Sirius.

***

Draco scowled in his mind as he walked with Pansy to Care of Magical Creatures, Crabbe and Goyle tagging behind. A warm cloak was wrapped around the blond; it was cold enough to see one's breath. They were going to finish their studies on nymphs today, which meant a trip to the lake to see his favorite Limnad.

They were the last to arrive; as soon as the little group set foot by Hagrid's cabin, the class began.

"Today'll be the last day we study nymphs! As we haven't covered Limnads yet, we'll do that today. Now, can 'nyone 'ell me wha' type o' nymph a Limnad is?"

Granger, of course, rose her hand into the air.

"Hermione?"

"A Limnad is a type of Naiad, water nymphs. Limnads are nymphs of lakes, and they are the only evil nymphs. Limnads lure humans to their doom by mimicking screams of distressed people."

"Very good, Hermione. Five points to Gryffindor."

Granger beamed.

***

As the class walked to the lake, Hagrid explained about Limnads in detail, how they were born, what they liked to do, how they lived, etc. All too soon, they arrived at the lake.

A brown head bobbed out of the water, surveying the class with calculating eyes.

"Now, boys, take an 'armuff an' put it on when she sings!"

All the boys scrambled for an earmuff that wasn't pink and fluffy, as Hagrid had borrowed them from Professor Sprout. All except Draco. Blaise, seeing the opportunity, opened her mouth.

"Now!"

All the boys who had grabbed an earmuff simultaneously put it on their heads. The girls looked at Draco curiously, with Pansy glancing at him with a questioning gaze.

A beautiful and heartwrenching tune floated out of Blaise's lips. Her eyes might have been on the other boys, but Draco knew who this song was for. He smirked at the Limnad when she saw thta he wasn't trying to jump into the lake.

The blond deliberately walked to the edge of the lake and squatted down, looking Blaise sqaure in the face.

"It won't work on me, dear," he whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

The singing stopped abruptly. The brunette looked at him with an appraising gaze.

"So the rumors are true. You have their blood," Blaise said in a strained whisper.

"Aren't we the smart little Limnad," Draco drawled back.

As he stood up, the Slytherin could feel the class's gaze on his back. No doubt Granger had already figured it out, maybe even Hagrid, and perhaps Pansy. However, when the blonde turned around to face the class, he was met by more questioning gazes than he had previously thought, Granger and Hagrid included, though Pansy seemed to have caught on.

"Professor, why did the Limnad sing and..."

Granger was abruptly cut off as Blasie splashed icy-cold water on the class, leaving everyone drenched in freezing water, no doubt already catching pneumonia or at least a cold. The brown head ducked into the water just as fast, but not before Draco drew his wand.

Several moments later, a scream echoed through the air as Blaise resurfaced. Pale skin was now an ugly shade of red, and hatred shot out of her eyes.

"Someone, help me get 'er out!" Hagrid boomed.

Of course, Potter, Weasley, and Granger rushed to help the half-giant, trying to pull Blaise out of the water, which wasn't working very well, as the Limnad was fighting tooth and claw to escape their hold.

"Someone, get Madame Pomfrey out 'ere now! Whoever does so will get twenty points fer their 'ouse!"

Spurred on by the incentive of twenty points awarded to their House, almost half the class ran up to the castle, each trying to be the first one to reach the Medi-witch.

Pansy took the time to talk to Draco.

"So it is true. You're part Veela."

"With your display of wits, Pansy, dear, you could have ended up in Gryffindor."

Pansy chose to ignore that particular remark. Just then Longbottom ran out of the castle, leading Madame Pomfrey to the lake.

"What happened here? All of you should be in dry clothes!"

The students quickly cast Drying Charms on their clothes.

"Is this it?" Madame Pomfrey asked in an indignant voice.

Hagrid just pointed at Blaise.

Madame Pomfrey quickly started applying healing spells to the burns until they finally receded to a faint pink.

"Who burned her? That could have been fatal!"

"Malfoy did, Madame," Granger spoke up.

Draco glared daggers at the Gryffindor as the Medi-witch rounded on him.

"Mr. Malfoy, I don't believe you! Purposely causing harm to a Limnad? You should be suspended!"

"Malfoy, that's fifty points from Slytherin and detention fer a week wi'h your Head o' 'ouse."

Draco could see Blaise mocking him behind Hagrid.

"Yes, sir."

***

Potions that afternoon was not something Draco looked forward to. No one in Slytherin did, as the whole school was biased against them now. Dumbledore might appear to be sympathetic, but he had been a Gryffindor, and he protected the other three houses more than Slytherin could ever receive.

If Snape was here, then at least they would have one adult in this place who wasn't against them just because of the House they were in. Everyone judged Slytherins by their House, not by their true personality. Blaise was an arse, true, but there were quite a few Slytherins that would have fitted in in other Houses.

Pansy, for instance. She was actually a nice and smart girl, when she wasn't annoying Draco with her endless declarations of love. If they had never met, no doubt she would have ended up in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin, with him.

Millicent Bulstrode looked tough, but she was as tame as a kitty when she was with people that she trusted. Pansy and Milicent were on quite good terms, and Draco had seen times when Millicent let her true self out. Once was at the party in Fourth Year, and they had had a pretty decent conversation, with Millicent actually acting like a regular girl.

Crabbe and Goyle weren't as dumb as they looked. Draco had started observing them a bit more closely this year, and he saw that Pansy was right. When they were by themselves, they actually could maintain an average conversation. The two were just slow on the uptake, nothing else. They only pretended to be dumb, as it was a good way to gather information. In fact, Draco had caught them once talking about Polyjuice Potion in intelligent terms, proving the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover." They were a bit poor in marks, but if they acted like themselves, no doubt they would receive low B's in all their classes.

And of course, Draco himself. True, Draco had once believed everything Lucius told him, and acted like an insufferable git. But now, he found that he liked his true personality more and more. He was intelligent, handsome, rich, aristocratic, with a sarcastic side, but nonetheless, not the evil git everyone believed him to be. The Slytherin would probably be irresistible if he could show off his real personality.

But stuck in a dungeon where you didn't even have your own friends to stick with, while everyone else hated and loathed you, was not something Draco wanted to go through. Of course, he couldn't afford to fail Potions, as Lucius was already nagging at him about his grades. He had earned Cruciatus several times for that, and the blonde did not care to repeat the experience.

The Slytherins shuffled to class, keeping to themselves as they entered the classroom. They had been sticking together more these days, with everyone looking at them as if the Dark Mark was already branded onto them. True, most of them would probably receive it once they left school, but there were a few of them who didn't want to, who had no control over their path in life. Like Draco.

Today, they were brewing a Power Potential Potion. Kyon had explained to them that once they drank it, they should be able to see everyone's magical auras. The auras would have two layers. The outer layer showed the amount of magical potential they had, meaning how powerful their magic could become. The inner layer showed the best kind of magic suited for the individual. Kyon had written the meanings on the board and had expected an elaborate 1½ foot essay on their power potential and a 2 foot essay on the uses of a Power Potential Potion.

There were quite a few ingredients, including several types of blood. Draco also recognized the basic ingredients for a Truth Potion. A Truth Potion wasn't as powerful as Veritaserum, as it didn't last very long, no matter how much ingredients one uses. The longest that one ever lasted was one hour.

Draco carefully measured the dragon blood as Potter chopped the poison ivy, wearing dragonhide gloves. There were several poisonous ingredients, but they would be neutralized once the potion was complete.

Draco wondered vaguely why there were so many ingredients and decided that it was probably because the range was broad, so the potion had to be thorough. He did not like it when he had to measure 3.0281 mililiters of nymph saliva, as he spent five minutes pouring the liquid back and forth, trying to obtain the exact amount.

Potter sniggered, of course, until he realized that he had to chop a half of a Venus Flytrap into pieces exactly 2.54 centimeters long, 0.8723 centimers wide, and 1.9763 centimers tall. That was when Draco smirked. The Gryffindor deserved a taste of his own medicine.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Weasley shaking as he gingerly picked up Black Widow Spider legs and dropped it into the cauldron as Pansy had definitely refused to touch it, probably saying something to the effect of girls are too delicate to touch nasty critters like spiders.

Finally after two and a half hours of painstaking work, Draco and Harry had finished their Power Potential Potion. The potion was completely black, darker than the color of the night sky, darker than Potter's hair. It was pure black, like a void.

Potter gingerly scooped a small amount of the opaque potion, looking as if his ladle would disappear if he left it in the cauldron too long. The Gryffindor raised it to his lips and took a tiny sip. After seeing that Potter didn't seem to be experiencing anything abnormal, Draco also ladled a bit of the potion and drank it.

His vision turned blinding white for a moment, then everything reappeared. That is, with their magical auras around them. Potter had a white outer aura, meaning that he could hold an unbelievably amount of power, not suprisingly. His inner aura was black, with a tiny tint of red. A black inner aura meant that the person was suited for wandless magic. Quite predictable.

The Slytherin then looked down at his hand. What he saw shocked him. The outer aura was a pure white, like the color of unicorn hair, while his inner aura was also black, though with a tint of gold and a tint of lighter black. This was surprising, to see that he had the potential to be just as powerful as Potter, maybe even more.

Draco looked around the room. Crabbe and Goyle had red outer auras, which meant above-average magical power. Their inner auras were green, meaning that they were good with Transfiguration. This was proving to be interesting.

Pansy had an outer aura of yellow, the potential of an average Witch. Draco felt a bit disappointed in her. Her inner aura was blue, a sign of exemplary performace in Charms. The Slytherin wasn't too surprised about that, as he did receive his book due to a very advanced charm cast by Pansy in Second Year.

Weasley, though, shocked Draco. He also had an outer aura of white. Maybe Weasleys could be as powerful as Potters, but it was obvious that they never develped their magical power. The redhead's inner aura was black, though with a tint of silver. Thank Merlin that he had a tint of gold; it was surprising that Weasley might have more potential than Potter, but Draco doubted that the Gryffindor could surpass him.

***

Harry, seeing that Malfoy was making no move to sample the potion, scooped some himself and sipped it. Instantly, his vision went a blinding white. He was not going blind, was he?

All of a sudden, everything reappeared, much to Harry's relief. The Gryffindor turned to look at Malfoy, who was ladling up some of the potion. His outer aura was the purest of whites, meaning that he possessed a great amount of potential. The white surrounded an aura of black, though with a tint of gold and light black. The board didn't say anything about tints. The raven-haired boy wondered what that meant. He knew that the black meant Malfoy was good with wandless magic, but the tint of gold and light black must mean something, too.

Harry turned to look at Sirius. His outer aura was a bright red, signaling him to have the potential to be above average. The red enveloped a green, a sign of good Transfiguration, which was not surprising, considering that he did become one of the Marauders.

The Gryffindor looked at Ron. Ron also had an outer aura of white, and Harry felt glad for him. His inner aura was black, the sign of potency in wandless magic, though there was a tint of silver on the black. Harry never realized how powerful his classmates could become. Everyone had always told him that he was destined to be a great and powerful wizard, but Ron...the other boy could have a true chance to be in the spotlight.

Hermione had an outer aura of blue, meaning that she was one level above the people with a red outer aura. Her inner aura was white, which meant that she was good at all White Magic.

_Just like Hermione, _Harry thought.

Neville was very surprising, also displaying an outer aura of blue. Harry had known that the boy had something in him, even though he didn't show it. Neville had become good at Potions, since Kyon didn't torment him the same way Snape did. His inner aura was purple, a Potions expert. If Harry hadn't seen Neville's work for the past term, he would have thought that the potion was malfunctioning.

The Gryffindor looked down at himself. He also had a white outer aura, which wasn't a surprise to him at all. The black of his inner aura contrasted sharply with the white, and Harry could make out a faint tint of red in the black. If he wasn't wrong, then Malfoy seemed to have the potential to be the most powerful out of the three of them, and that would not be good, as there was a good chance the Slytherin would join Voldemort.

***

On Thursday, Narcissa wrote back. She had taken her time, as she wanted to make sure that she didn't write anything that she wasn't supposed to.

_Finally,_ Draco thought.

_Victoria York is my and Lucius's cousin. She went to school at the same time as Tom Riddle and was in the same year, though she was in Gryffindor. She won the Founders' Pride against Tom Riddle. Vic was Head Girl, again opposite Tom Riddle. She has black hair and Malfoy Grey eyes, and she has a scar on the right side of her face, from her eyebrows to her chin. Vic was orphaned at the age of eight and was adopted by a Muggle couple, though she is Pureblood. She is Chinese._

__

Silver eyes, a family trait...

Orphaned, yet held no hate...

Gryffindor, yet stronger...

Love made her fonder...

A Slytherin she was to hate...

Though that was not her fate...

Gryffindor Head Girl, she was...

Slytherin Head Boy, he was...

Not a Malfoy, though with their blood...

Raised by Muggles, though with no Mud...

So the person he was looking for in a painting was Victoria. She matched quite a few of the lines in the riddle. Yes, his mother was the best mother in the whole world, helping him with a most important contest. And he was right. The Victoria York he saw during the Family Tree Potion was her.

***

On Friday, Harry decided to go to the Library, sure that there was some kind of book that told of the Hogwarts Head Boys and Head Girls. While lingering by the section that housed _Hogwarts: A History_, Harry saw a spine that caught his eyes.

__

The Complete List of Hogwarts Head Boys and Head Girls.

It must be his lucky day. But who knew how many combinations of Slytherin Head Boy and Gryffindor Head Girl were in that book? Harry decided to start from recent times.

As it turned out, he didn't see any combos of Slytherin Head Boy and Gryffindor Head Girl until he reached the year 1945. Under the heading of Head Boy was Tom Riddle - Slytherin, while under the heading of Head Girl was Victoria York - Gryffindor.

__

Brilliant and handsome, not always known...

A tough life and bad decision he made...

With bad consequences up to date...

Slytherin Head Boy, obviously so...

Gryffindor Head Girl, that was the one...

Now spreading terror and destruction...

Tainted by power and corruption...

Once stopped but now come back...

Great powers he doesn't lack...

The quotes from the riddle sounded exactly like Tom Riddle, especially with the part about telling the painting of him the name Victoria, since the riddle did imply that the two were once romantically involved. Now, the book didn't mention where the painting of him might be, did it?

It did. Harry found it in the front of the book as he sifted through the huge volume.

_Paintings of all the Head Girls and Head Boys have been made and are on the 8th floor of the castle. The oldest paintings are in the south wing, with the newer ones in the middle. The north wing is yet to be filled._

Harry had been called lucky before, as he had escaped Voldemort everytime he met the Dark Wizard, but surely he wasn't this lucky?

___________________________________

Thanks to:

Torrential Zephyr - No, I haven't written about the previous years, and I doubt I will.

And all readers!

Edited 10/24/02


	15. Chapter 14: Ravenclaw's Hunt

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 14

Ravenclaw's Hunt

Sunday rolled around faster than one can say the word "Quidditch." Excitement crackled in the air as Hogwarts sat down for breakfast. Many students already had their bags packed, as they were leaving the next day. Even Blaise was leaving; Draco was sure that the Zabini family could find some Dark spell to restore the Slytherin.

Detention had not been fun. Kyon had had Draco doing servant work, like disemboweling horned toads, extracting slug blood, etc. The xanthochroid was sure that if Potter had been the one to receive detention instead, Kyon would have let the Gryffindor do homework and help him with it.

This was perhaps the easiest contest yet. All they had to do was find a painting and talk to it; the painting would no doubt tell them what to do. If the other three hadn't figured out the riddle, then they were complete and total idiots.

Pansy had almost started spoon feeding him, as she wanted him to conserve his energy. However, she realized that that might not be a bright idea when he glared at her, and she contented herself with hanging onto him during the whole meal, shooting everyone and anyone that even dared to go near them with death glares.

Draco was as calm as calm can be. The enchanted ceiling showed a clear though gray sky. Light snow was falling outside, as usual. However, the temperature did not seem to be freezing, merely a bit chilly. A light gust of wind blew now and then, reminding everyone that bad weather might show up at any moment. All in all, it was a good day to have a contest.

As breakfast drew to an end, Dumbledore stood up.

"Will everyone head outside to the front lawn?"

Pupils started rising from their seats, leaving in clumps and groups from the Great Hall. Many of them paid their respective champions good luck. Pansy glared at each group as they came up to Draco while Draco mentally rolled his eyes.

As the Great Hall slowly emptied, with a few last stragglers walking out the doors, Draco left in a huff, walking away from Pansy as fast as he could. She had the nerve to offer to carry him! He was not fine china in her kitchen cabinet, and he'd rather be damned to hell than be treated like that. The nerve of her!

The blonde was not in a good mood when he arrived outside. He spotted the champions a little ways off from the main group, waiting with Professor Sinistra. Draco promptly walked over to the group, not wishing to give Pansy a chance to apologize to him. The apology would have fallen on deaf ears anyways.

Two of the champions glared at him as he walked up, not glad about him showing up so unbelievably late.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, you're here. I shall now explain what is expected of the four of you. You are to do what your riddles tell you to do. There is the time limit of an hour. Anyone who returns after that will receive no points. The person who returns first will be awarded full points. Now, prepare yourselves in front of the steps to the castle. Ravenclaw's Hunt is about to start."

Draco, Harry, Susan, and Terry obliged. The Ravenclaw boy had been chosen as Head Boy, and he was carrying himself as if he was superior to the other three. Susan, meanwhile, had a determined look on her face. Harry acted his everyday normal self. Draco walked nonchantly up to the steps.

Dumbledore walked down the steps and towards the table set beside the stone steps, where the four Heads of Houses were seated, waiting for Ravenclaw's Hunt to begin. To the crowd, an hour seemed to have passed before the Headmaster reached his place at the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the second contest of the Founders' Pride, Ravenclaw's Hunt! As each of you know, our champions each received a piece of parchment, which contained a different riddle for them to deceipher. This test will prove the intelligence of our champions! Now, champions, are you ready?"

A loud boom resounded through the air. Draco instantly ran up the steps, taking them two at a time, reaching the doors first. He wrenched one open and ran inside, hearing the loud footsteps and the noisy panting of the other three as they, too, entered.

Draco had prepared very well. In Second Year, he had found a hidden passage in the Charms corridor that led straight to the Eighth Floor. The Eighth Floor was well hidden, as students had no need to access them. There was, of course, a staircase that led up there, though it was hidden in a part of the castle that hardly anyone ever went to.

Draco had known where to find the portraits because they were mentioned in the book_ Hogwarts: A History_, which the Slytherin had read cover to cover, like Granger, though for different purposes. While Granger wanted to learn, Draco read it for any information that would be useful should he be in a tight spot. The previous night, the blonde had taken his Merging Cloak and gone up to the Eighth Floor, pipointing the exact location of Victoria's portrait. He had found the painting empty, though a plaque beneath the portrait told him that he was at the right place.

Quickly, Draco ran up the staircase. A few moments later, the other three ran past the Slytherin, no doubt trying to reach the staircase that led up to the Eighth Floor. The pudgy Hufflepuff was falling behind while the Head Boy was gaining the lead, as he was the tallest of the three.

Draco, not wasting any time, used a spell that would make him run faster and zoomed to the Charms corridor. The Slytherin stopped in front of a wall behind a statue of Merlin, barely fitting into the space.

The blonde leaned against the wall. The gray stones spun silently, and Draco soon found himself in the secret passage. The Slytherin ran the length of the passage speedily; after several twists and turns and quite a few pretty steep climbs, the other side of the passage appeared.

Draco halted to a stop in front of the dead end and again leaned against it. Gray stones slid from the wall silently, forming an opening for the blonde to walk through. As soon as he did so, they slid shut. The blonde was now in the South Wing. Pictures of 14th Century young adults stared at him, tutting at the casual dress and the loose manners.

Draco ignored them all and jogged down the hallway as centuries passed him by. As he reached the 20th Century, the xanthochroid slowed down. The Slytherin had long passed Albus Dumbledore's portrait, along with Albert DeVrai, aka Grindelwald. Soon, he reached the painting of Victoria York.

The Witch was wearing silver dress robes made of silk, which enhanced her Malfoy Grey eyes. Her black hair fell like a waterfall around her, and her face was smooth, not yet disfigured by the scar Narcissa had told him about. Her eyes fell quickly onto Draco.

"A Malfoy? Now, what would you be doing here?" For a Chinese person, she spoke English well, without a single trace of an accent.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, son of Narcissa Moore. I..."

"Ah, yes, you are the son of my two cousins, are you not? Well then, come in, and take what you need, though do be quick about it, as I'm sure the other three will be arriving soon."

The portrait swung forward, and Draco stepped inside. The room was bare except for a brown coffee table in the middle, which held four small figurines. The blonde quickly ran over and scanned them.

A griffin. A badger. An eagle. A dragon.

It was obvious which one he should take. The dragon was made of crystal. The wings were spread, and its arms were held in front of it, the way it would look if the creature was holding something. Draco put an Unbreakable Charm on the crystal figurine and put it in his robe pocket, jogging out of the room.

"Thank you," he said as he turned back to the portrait.

"You're welcome," she replied as the portrait swung back.

As the Slytherin ran back down the hall, she looked at him sadly.

"It seems that what Albus told me is true. Your life will not be an easy one, Dragon," the former Head Girl whispered to the blonde's retreating back.

***

Victoria looked at her portrait, shaking her head.

_If only you knew the truth of it. But you don't, and the truth is way more complicated than what anyone had ever thought._

***

Harry soon took the lead as he sped up, determined to reach the Eighth Floor before the other two. No doubt Malfoy was already running up the stairs, as the three had seen neither hide nor hair of him.

The staircase came into view. Harry ran straight for it, seeing that it was so narrow that one person could barely fit on it, let alone two or three. He ended up being the first one up, beating Terry by mere miliseconds.

The Gryffindor scrambled to put more distance between himself and the other two. Who knew what portraits the other two had? What if they had ones of 16th Century Head Boys and Head Girls?

After a long and exhausting climb, in which the three had slowed from running to climbing a step every ten seconds with their leaden legs, the top appeared, appealing to the three the same way food appeals to a man who hadn't eaten for a week.

New determination came to Harry. He sprinted the last few flights up and ran down the central hallway. Whispers floated to his ears as he passed, though he couldn't make out the exact words. Soon, the raven-haired boy had been lost to the sight of the other two champions, who were staggering off the stairs.

After running for what seemed like ages and kilometers, Harry stopped in front of the portrait of Tom Riddle. The boy stooped over for a moment, catching his breath. He soon turned his head to look at the life-size painting.

Tom Riddle was dressed in jade green robes that brought out his eyes. He was smiling, though the smile looked a little evil to Harry. The Gryffindor again realized how the two uncannily resembled each other.

The former Slytherin looked down at Harry with a scrutinizing gaze. Harry felt more and more uncomfortable with each passing second.

"I...That is...I mean...well...Victoria sent me."

"Really? And why would the precious dear not find me herself?"

Harry stood dumbfounded. A girl suddenly entered the portrait, dragging a chair behind her.

"I finally managed to wrestle this chair away from Peony Patil, Tom."

The girl glanced out of the portrait and into Harry's eyes. A grey the exact shade and value as Malfoy's met his emerald orbs.

"Now, Vicky, this boy says that you sent him."

So that was Victoria? He could understand why Tom had once maybe loved her, as she was undeniably beautiful. Black, lustrous hair flowed down her back in ripples. Her skin was a bit tanned, and she had a nice figure, though not the hourglass shape many men desire.

Tom was now seated on the chair, with Victoria sitting in his lap. Harry did not want to witness this.

"Er..could you maybe consider what I said?"

Tom looked at him irritatingly. Victoria, though, gave him a piercing gaze before turning back to the former Head Boy.

"Let him in, Tom. Do this as a favor for me?"

Victoria lowered her lips to his earlobe and started nibbling it in an affectionate way, earning a moan from the former Slytherin. Harry felt like he was going to be sick. Just then, the painting swung open.

Harry quickly entered, not wanting to stay any longer. He found himself in a room devoid of any adornments except for a plain brown coffee table in the middle. Three miniature statues stood in the center. There was only one explaination. Malfoy had been here already, as he was sure Terry and Susan hadn't caught up yet.

His supsicions were confirmed as Harry stepped up to the table. A badger, an eagle, and a griffin remained on the table.

The griffin was made of crystal, carved articulately. The wings were spread, each feather standing out. Its claws were curved inward, as though it was holding something. Harry carefully deposited the figurine into a pocket.

The Gryffindor ran out of the room. Once he was back in the hallway, he could hear muffled moaning coming from behind him, not just deep ones this time. Harry ran back down the hallway, not daring to look back at the portrait of Tom Riddle, which had swung closed.

Harry jogged down the stairs at a steady pace, not wanting to waste his energy too fast. The trip downstairs seemed shorter than the trip upstairs, and soon, the Gryffindor found himself back in the Great Hall.

The raven-haired boy ran full speed out of the castle to be greeted with a cheering crowd. He could see Malfoy standing apart from the crowd, with Pansy Parkinson draped all over him. Not again.

***

As soon as Draco ran down the steps, he was accosted by Pansy, who threw her arms around his neck and refused to be separated from the one love of her life.

"Draco, you won!" squealed the excited brunette into his ear, which caused the blonde to wince.

The Slytherin had already forgiven her for the previous events in the morning, which Pansy seemed to have realized. But then, they had known each other since they were what? Four? They could almost read each other's minds.

Pansy snuggled into Draco; the blonde wrapped his arms around her. Might as well give everyone the full act. He then noticed the four screens hovering in front of the castle doors. One was currently blank, though he could see Potter, Boot, and Bones on the other three. So, again, his actions had been broadcasted to the student and teacher population at Hogwarts. At least nothing truly humiliating happened this time.

***

Ten minutes after Potter emerged, so did Bones and Boot, Bones running out of the doors a fraction of a second before Boot. Cheering accompanied their return as Dumbledore stood up.

The crowd instantly quieted down. The Headmaster roamed his eyes over Draco, who was still holding Pansy, Harry, who was standing by Hermione and Ron, and Susan and Terry, both breathless with flushed faces, standing apart from the main crowd.

"Ravenclaw's Hunt has concluded. Mr. Malfoy receives fifty points, for completing his task in ten minutes. Fourty points to Mr. Potter, who returned in twenty minutes. Miss Bones has earned thirty points, and twenty-nine points goes to Mr. Boot. The next contest will be Saturday, March 28."

Boot raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Boot?"

"Headmaster, sir, what will we need to do for the third contest?"

"You should already know that," Dumbledore replied, blue eyes twinkling.

When he sat back down, the enormous mass of students slowly trickled into the castle. Potter was surrounded by Gryffindors, who all congratulated him. Draco and Pansy were the last to leave, the two matching each other stride for stride, pace for pace. Almost as if they were twins.

___________________________________________

Thanks to:

AshFarley - hehe

And all readers!

Edited 10/24/02


	16. Chapter 15: Shadowed Identities

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 15

Shadowed Identities

The next day, as many students were waking up with hangovers in Slytherin, Harry saw Ron and Hermione off as they left for Hogsmeade.

"Bye, mate. I'll see you again after Yule."

"You too, Ron."

"Harry, be careful. We'll be back soon."

"I will, 'Mione."

Hermione stepped in and hugged Harry, then the two left for Hogsmeade, leaving Harry standing after them on the steps of Hogwarts.

***

Hogwarts was practically empty as many pupils left to spend what might perhaps be the last Yule with their family. Ron and Hermione were no exception. Harry felt utterly alone as he made way back to Gryffindor Tower.

However, the most imminent problem was the Yule Ball. Who was he supposed to ask, what with almost no one still at Hogwarts?

The Gryffindor's problem was solved that day at supper. As he was about to leave the Great Hall, he heard a voice behind him calling his name.

"Harry!"

The raven-haired boy turned around to see a Ravenclaw that was in his year, though he couldn't recall her name, running towards him. She halted to a stop before him, panting slightly.

"I...I was wondering if you'll go to the Yule Ball with me."

"Sure, why not?"

"Thanks!" The Ravenclaw beamed and hugged Harry, then ran back to her House table, where she preceded to tell her giggling friends about what had happened.

"You've always had a knack for misfits, don't you, Potter? There's Weasel, who has no money, Granger, who has no blood, and then Turpin, who has no honor."

"Why don't you sod off, Malfoy," Harry replied between clenched teeth.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Potter."

With that, the Slytherin left, Pansy trailing after him, throwing a contempous look at Harry, who stared at the blonde bewilderingly.

***

"Is he so naive that he doesn't even know about Turpin?" Pansy asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Everyone knows about Turpin. She's been waiting for this for a long time. I can see it right now. 'Golden Boy loses his virginity on night of Yule Ball!'"

"If she dares to come up to you again, she won't be able to shag anyone after I'm done with her," Pansy said possessively.

Draco just smirked as the brunette tightened her grip on his arm.

"You won't be the only one, Pansy, dear."

It was well known that Lisa Turpin had set her sights on Draco ever since Second Year. However, she had only tried to seduce Draco once before Pansy threatened her. Not wanting to be hexed by a Slytherin, she had steered clear of Draco, though it was still well known that she hadn't given up on him. After that, she had moved on to Potter, but as soon as she was done with him, she would lie in wait again for the Slytherin. Potter was famous, and the Ravenclaw would love to boast about how she shagged him, but she wanted Draco more. Draco was the most handsome boy in school, even the Gryffindors had grudgingly agreed; he was rich, famous, and had a place in society. Any girl would want him.

Of course, Turpin was also the school slut. She had slept with more than three-quarters of the school, male and female, and had even seduced several teachers. Thus, she never could understand how Potter and Draco could ignore her. Draco, of course, would never consort with a slut, and Harry just didn't know that Turpin was hitting on him all this time.

Lisa Turpin had even broken the record of her predecessor, Cho Chang, but she still hadn't been able to bag the two at the top of her list. In fact, Potter was still a virgin, and Draco was claimed. But she will stop at nothing to achieve her goal.

***

The days to Yule passed quickly, and soon Yule dawned upon Britain. Draco was awoken by a body sliding into the sheets beside him.

"Is it time already?" he mumbled, not yet fully awake.

"Of course, Draco. Now, come on, I'm sure you want to open your presents."

The blonde blinked a few times, then sat up. Two piles of presents were at the end of the bed, one for him and one that Pansy had brought over from her dorm. Every Yule, they opened presents together. It was a tradition that had been started ever since they had met, and the tradition had never been broken.

Pansy had already started opening some of her presents, discarding many of them without a second glance. In a few minutes, she was done with all the presents except for Draco's, which she waited to open while Draco opened his.

Draco also put many of them aside, as they were of no true use. Finally, there were only two left, one from Mother and one from Pansy.

Narcissa's present was wrapped in silver, pale blue ribbons around the rectangular object. Draco opened it to find it a book, though not just any book. It was a book from his father's collections. The title was _Revenge: A Dark Guide to the Best Vengence Techniques_. A note was sticking out of the book.

__

Draco,

I hope this book is useful for the circumstances. Lucius does not know you have it, but I would not worry. Enjoy and Happy Yule.

Mother

The Slytherin had been looking for a book like this; he hated pestering his mother so much. Narcissa always knew the best presents to give.

Now, only one gift remained. The one from Pansy. She had always given him a good present, useful or not. This year's was wrapped in black, with a silver ribbon wrapped around the gift and tied into a bow at the top. Pansy watched on as the xanthochroid opened his gift, holding her breath.

It was...magnificent. It was soft and cool to the touch, the cloth silvery gray, seemingly made out of a fluid-like substance. It was an Invisibility Cloak.

"Pansy..." he breathed.

"I knew you would like it! It did cost a small fortune and took me a while to find one, but it was worth it. Anything for you, Draco."

"Thank you. You haven't opened my present yet."

Pansy gingerly pulled off the strip of silver silk that wrapped around her gift, then carefully peeled back the green paper. She gasped.

"Draco..." The brunette then broke into a sob.

"What's the matter, Pansy?" Draco was concerned. The jeweler didn't mess up, did he?

Tears rolled down her eyes, and Pansy made no effort to wipe them off.

"I...I..." She broke into more sobs.

Draco put his arms around her and patted her back awkwardly. He had never seen Pansy cry, not even when he broke up with her. He had seen her melancholy, depressed, concerned, vengeful, angry, spiteful, but never had he seen her cry. The Slytherin was glad that Crabbe and Goyle were heavy sleepers; the two could sleep through almost anything normally, but they were almost unwakable after a shagging session, for which the blonde was thankful.

The tears slowly diminished, then stopped altogether, leaving the brown eyes moist and red-rimmed. Pansy sniffed a few times.

"Nothing's wrong, Draco. I..I'm touched."

Pansy held up the necklace. A dragon and a hart stood together, holding a heart in between them. The heart was encrusted with rubies; everything else was made of gold. On the back were several words.

_Pansy -_

Forever friends.

Draco

Draco had received the idea from the necklace his mother wore around her neck. He remembered asking about it when he was a small child.

***

_"What's that around your neck, Mummy?"_

Narcissa removed the necklace and held it in front of Draco.

It was a necklace of a dragon and a stag, so intertwined that it was hard to make out which was the dragon and which the stag.

"Your father gave this to me before we married."

"What's on the back?" asked the young boy, curious.

Narcissa turned the necklace around so the small boy could see the words inscribed on the piece of jewelry.

"What does it say, Mummy?"

"It says, 'Narcissa, You'll always be in my heart. Lucius.'"

***

Draco had forgotten about the necklace until the dream he had about Victoria and Narcissa. Funny that he never could remember anything until other events reminded him of it. However, it was the perfect present for Pansy, and he had been proven right.

Pansy put the necklace on, gingerly touching it with her right hand before looking at Draco.

"Thank you," she said softly, before leaning forward and pecking Draco on the lips.

***

Harry awoke to an empty dorm. All the other Seventh Years had gone home, and he was alone to open his presents, something that had never happened before during his seven years at Hogwarts. A pile of presents sat at the end of his bed, and he groggily climbed out of bed, put a cloak on, and sat down by the pile.

Hagrid had sent him a bag of rock cakes, which Harry set aside, and a bag of sweets from Honeydukes. Ron had sent him new items from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, including the new Moodpops, which changed one's skin color to whatever mood they were in; the Sonnet Sweet, which caused the person who ate it to talk in sonnets for up to five days; and the Playwright Pastries, which made one sprout off quotes from Shakespeare's works for at least three days. Harry had only learned last year that Shakespeare wasn't a Muggle but instead a Wizard.

Hermione had given Harry a book, which didn't surprise Harry. The title was _Traveler's Guide to Surprise Encounters_. On the inside was a note.

_Harry,_

I hope this comes in handy for the next two contests of the Founders' Pride. There are some really interesting and useful spells in here.

Hermione

Dobby, of course, gave Harry a pair of socks. One sock was red, with golden lions on it. The other sock was also red, though with golden griffins stitched upon the red. Harry had also given Dobby socks, one pair that turned red if there were untrustworthy people around, and a custom-made pair that had Dobby's name on it.

The Dursleys had sent Harry a toothpick and a note saying that he should not expect anymore Yule presents, not that Harry cared in the first place. Sirius had given Harry a book about how to become an Animagus, which Harry put aside for when he had time.

Harry had given Ron the book about the Chudley Cannons that the redhead had given him several years ago, though with the Chudley Cannons' autographs in them. At the beginning of summer, Uncle Vernon hadn't picked him up at King's Cross Station, assuming that if he was famous as they were lead to believe, then someone would surely take Harry off their hands, and also that Sirius Black was nonexsistent, so they needn't worry about a deranged murderer cursing them into oblivion.

Harry had stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for three days before a team of Aurors had escorted him back to 4 Privet Drive. During his stay, he had met up with the Chudley Cannons, who were in Diagon Alley for new robes. The Quidditch team was all too happy to autograph the book and dedicate it to Ron for the Gryffindor.

Hermione received a book from Harry. He had found a study guide on N. E. W. T.s in Diagon Alley while he was staying at the Leaky Cauldron and had bought it for Hermione, who he knew would love. The book included what to study, what not to study, what to master, what one definitely had to know, and even had practice questions from past N. E. W. T.s. The brunette would probably be done with the book by the time Yule break was over.

The day dragged by slowly for Harry, as none of his friends had stayed for Yule. For lunch, the House tables had been cleared, and the fifteen or so students that had stayed all sat at one table with the teachers. Harry sat between Lisa and Professor McGonagall. Malfoy and the Slytherins occupied the other end of the table, and it was no surprise that the blonde's girlfriend and henchmen had also stayed behind. The Gryffindor did notice something red sparkling on Pansy's neck, though he didn't really care.

The decorations were splendid as usual, but Harry was used to them after staying at Hogwarts for Yule for seven years. Pine trees stood around the Great Hall, adorned with real miniscule owls, strings of popcorn, icles that hung off the green needles, and multitudes of other festive items. A bowl of wizarding crackers lay in several bows along the table, with even more surprises than usual, including a water pixie in one of them, though it quickly escaped before anyone could move.

All too soon, it was ten minutes to seven. Harry tucked his fur cloak tighter around him and made his way down to Great Hall, where Lisa was waiting for him by the staircase. The Ravenclaw was dressed in a sky blue dress robe made of silk, with heavy makeup on her face and quite a few bracelets and bangles on her arms. Her friends stood a little ways off, giggling and pointing.

Lisa smiled at Harry.

"You look handsome, Harry."

"You look good yourself, Lisa."

"Thanks." The Ravenclaw beamed at him.

From the dungeons, the Slytherins were arriving, with Pansy and Malfoy leading. Malfoy wore silver robes that brought out his liquidsilver eyes, and Pansy wore frilly robes of a dark red, almost maroon color. A necklace gleamed brightly above her clavicles.

The two Slytherins walked over to where Harry and Lisa were standing, though they ignored them. Soon, Terry and his date came over, and finally, Susan and her date. Professor McGonagall bustled over to them, wearing velvet robes of red, though her hair was still in a bun.

"You will stay here until the rest of the school enters, then you will follow after them. Your table is at the end of the room."

A moment later, the doors of Great Hall opened, and the rest of the school entered, many upper classmen throwing looks of pity at Harry and looks of deep loathing at Lisa, who smiled innocently back at them. After the small clump of students filed past them, the four champions and their partners walked through the doors themselves.

Snowflakes fell onto the eight as they entered, though melting as soon as they settled. The room was dim; the only light came from the stars on the enchanted ceiling. Small round tables were scattered around the outskirts of the room, leaving the central area free of obstacles for dancing. At the other side of the dancing area were two tables, one seated with teachers, the other empty, with eight chairs around it. The eight pupils made their way to the table and sat down, Harry and Malfoy as far away as possible from each other.

When the champions and their partners were seated, Dumbledore rose.

"I would like to welcome all of you to the Yule Ball! I hope you enjoy tonight, even with the small number of students here. Food is on the tables by the doors. Now, I give you Cassandra Wicceque! Champions, lead the first dance!"

Enthusiastic applause followed as a young witch dressed in navy blue robes climbed up to the makeshift stage. A slow tune drifted out of thin air as the champions and their partners rose from their table and readied themselves.

Harry took hold of Lisa's left hand with his right as his left hand rested itself on her waist; the Ravenclaw put her right hand on his shoulder and pressed herself very close to him. He wondered if this was acceptable and craned his neck, looking at the other champions and their partners.

To his right, he could see Malfoy and Pansy in the same position, though there seemed to be no space between their bodies. Infering that this was normal, Harry turned back and looked at Lisa as they started moving on the dance floor.

"This is one of my favorite songs," Lisa said as a snowflake drifted onto her hair and melted.

"I've never heard anything by her," Harry admitted.

"Oh, I keep forgetting that you're not that familiar with wizarding culture. Cassandra Wicceque is one of the really hip artists right now. She sings Muggle and Wizarding style, which is what makes her unique. This is one of her Muggle songs, what the Muggles call pop. She does a whole variety, too, which is why most of us like her, as we can find at least one song by her in our favorite style. My favorite is Lascivus."

"Lascivus?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"It's songs sung while engaging in sex."

"Oh." Harry could feel himself turning red, though Lisa didn't notice, or if she did, didn't comment on it.

After several more dances, the two left the dance floor for the refreshment table, passing by Pansy and Malfoy along the way. Their bodies were still pressed close together, though Malfoy shot Harry a nasty grin before turning back to Pansy.

Kyon came up to them.

"Nice cloak, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, Professor."

Harry grinned at his Godfather, who went off to dance with Professor Sprout.

He turned back to Lisa, who was crouching on the floor, retrieving one of the bangles that had fallen off her arm. The Gryffindor realized that he could see right down her robes, and the Ravenclaw was wearing nothing underneath. Harry turned bright red as Lisa stood up, sliding the bangle back onto her arm.

"It's getting cold in here, don't you think? Would you like to go somewhere a bit warmer?" asked the Ravenclaw, pressing herself against Harry and batting her eyelashes in what she thought was a seductive manner.

Harry almost didn't catch the hidden meaning. The raven-haired boy then realized that Lisa had crouched down and given him a view of her chest on purpose.

"If you don't mind, I would like to walk around outside. Be back soon."

Harry left the Great Hall before Lisa could respond. A look of disappointment came onto the Ravenclaw's face, and as she turned back towards the dance floor, she stared hatefully at Pansy, who was pressing herself even closer against Draco, smirking at Lisa.

***

"Potter just left, and Turpin's staring at me like she wants to cut my heart out," Pansy whispered to Draco.

"So Potter actually figured out Turpin's intentions? I'm surprised to know that the Savior of the Wizarding World does have brains in his head. Guess we won't be seeing headlines of Potter's seduction on tomorrow's _Daily Prophet_."

"Turpin's just left with some Fourth Year. Probably for a quick shag in a broom closet."

"I'm going to walk around, try out the Invisiblity Cloak you gave me, and maybe find out where Turpin is and lead Filch right onto her. I'll be back before the night's over, though."

Pansy detached herself from Draco.

"I'll be waiting," she said as she toyed with her necklace, then stepped in and gave Draco a peck on the cheek, all for appearance's sake.

***

As Draco was walking down the Charms corridor, he bumped into something solid. Something made a noise, then Potter's head was revealed, looking around him, trying to figure out who or what he bumped into.

Draco chose to take off his own Invisibility Cloak at that moment.

"So that's how you've been breaking rules, Potter. Mayhap I should call Filch."

"You have one too, Malfoy."

"I'm not the one out at night, sneaking dragons off, Potter. Or setting free guilty hippogriffs. Just because you're a hero doesn't mean that everybody adores you, Potter. I'm sure Filch would love to give you detention. And take back that Map you stole from him."

"The only reason you never get detention, Malfoy, is because your Mum shags all the teachers."

"Never insult my mother, Potter," Draco whispered in a deadly voice before bringing his arm back and punching Potter in his solar plex. The Gryffindor doubled over. He raised his head just in time to see Draco pull back his arm, preparing for another punch.

"Draco?"

Draco stopped. Never had Potter callen him by his first name.

"What?"

"Have you ever been to Winston's Summer Camp For Boys?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Drake Moore?"

Draco lowered his elbow and looked at the young man in front of him. It couldn't possibly be?

"Henry Evans?"

The two young men stepped into a hug.

______________________________

Thanks to:

VeronicaQ

And all readers!

Edited 10/25/02


	17. Chapter 16: A Reluctant Beginning

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 16

A Reluctant Beginning

As Harry and Draco detached themselves from each other, Harry's mind registered that Drake Moore was Draco Malfoy! Likewise, Draco realized that Henry Evans was Potter! The two boys quickly scrambled away from each other.

That gesture, the way he had looked when he drew his arm back, it had uncannily resembled Drake, the Drake that he had known before they had become friends. That had caused Harry to ask his archnemesis the question that should never have left his lips. He couldn't hate Malfoy in peace now, not if he was Drake.

Draco felt the same way. He wished that Potter had never revealed the truth, the truth that was better left in shadows, forgotten, until the cobwebs obscured it for all eternity. Everytime he insulted the Golden Boy, everytime he taunted the Gryffindor, everytime he aggrevated The Boy Who Lived, he would be reminded of that pitiful eight-year-old who had become his friend.

The two contemplated each other for a moment, Harry's emerald eyes filled with different emotions, Draco's as unreadable as ever. Draco decided that he was not going to be easy on Potter. If Potter hadn't refused his friendship in First Year, then things would be different. But it was Potter's fault, and he was not going to all of a sudden become friends with Potter just because he had discovered that they were friends a lifetime ago.

Harry didn't know what to do. His first true friend was standing in front of him, and the Gryffindor could only stand and stare back. Just when he thought that he had Draco Malfoy down, something comes up that leaves him in doubt of everything that had always seemed to him like fact. Why? Why did it have to be Malfoy? Why couldn't it have been someone else?

Just then, Malfoy turned and walked away, Invisibility Cloak on his arm.

"You can't just leave without saying anything! Not after what just happened!"

"Nothing happened except for my realization that I had been a fool to befriend you, Potter, both times."

"Why...you insufferable git!"

"I am struck by your abundance of wit, Potter."

"You....you...Death Eater!"

Something within Malfoy snapped. He turned around and walked back slowly, with a determined stride. The blonde stopped in front of Harry, lips inches away from the Gryffindor's. He pulled his sleeve up. Nothing was there except pale, unmarked skin, smooth as marble, perhaps even more so.

"I am not and will not be a Death Eater, Potter. I am a Malfoy, and I am proud of that, but I am not my father," he whispered, breath hot against Harry's face. Without another word, the xanthochroid spun on his heels and left a very confused Harry Potter behind, staring after his retreating back.

***

Draco returned to the Ball to find Turpin standing by the doors. She looked like she had been standing there the whole time, as if she hadn't gone out the doors with the Fourth Year. The Ravenclaw smiled seductively at Draco.

Draco merely glanced at her as he walked up to Pansy. As the next song started, the two resumed their dancing.

"You should have seen that Fourth Year when he walked in. His face was completely flushed, he was gasping for air, all the signs of a virgin."

"Pansy?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when I went to that Muggle camp during that one summer?"

"Of course! That was the only summer in which I was not able to see you." The brunette pouted.

"Remember Henry Evans?"

"That Muggle boy you became friends with?" asked Pansy disdainfully.

"It's Potter."

Draco could feel Pansy's grip on him tighten.

"Does he know?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Then make his life living Hell. He made his choice in First Year, and this will not change anything. You need to remind him of it. Everyone thinks that you've gone soft, Draco. Some of our Housemates have started supporting Blaise. You have to prove to them that you are still the cold-hearted, calculating, scheming, ruthless Draco Malfoy that we all know, but only I love."

***

Yule break was soon over, and the rest of Hogwarts returned. Blaise had returned back to normal, though he now harbored a deep hatred and resentment for Draco. The Slytherin never dared to upset Draco, but he was determined to hurt someone close to the blonde.

Hermione thanked Harry enthusiastically upon her return.

"I had been studying for the wrong things over the summer! I had been studying about the functions of potions instead of the purposes of specific ingredients and their uses in different potions! Also, I scored really low on the therories of interspecies Transfiguration! And N.E.W.T.s are in five months! The two of you need to start studying if you want to get good grades!"

Ron was ecstatic about his Yule present.

"Blimey, Harry! I can't believe you got the Chudley Cannons' autographs! I've put some spells on the book so it can't be taken out of the Burrow. I can't believe it!"

Harry was filled with joy now that his friends were back. However, the start of the second term quickly quelled Harry's happiness.

More homework had been given to all the Seventh Years in preparation for N.E.W.T.s. They were now reviewing First Year material while learning new curriculum, throwing almost everyone into a frenzy of work. Hermione had been unfazed, and when the two boys complained, she had told them that it was good for them, as it was a comprehensive review on everything that could possibly be on the N.E.W.T.s, therefore guaranteeing that everyone will receive enough N.E.W.T.s to make a decent living. Even Sirius had given them a huge load of work, saying that they couldn't have learned much from Snape, which earned him even more negative points with the Slytherins. The three had heard some of them mutter death threats under their breath as they left in a huff, indignant about Kyon's scornful treatment of Snape.

In his spare time, which mostly consisted of times when Harry slacked off and neglected his homework, Harry took to staring at his miniature griffin figurine, wondering how to unlock the secret it held. Dumbledore's statement at the end of Ravenclaw's Hunt had not helped at all, and Harry was certain that no clues had been dropped for the third contest to any of the champions. The Gryffindor had even taken the figurine into the shower with him, hoping against all hope that the figurine would somehow drop him a clue. It hadn't worked, and Harry was back to square one.

Meanwhile, the enmity between Harry and Malfoy had not just doubled, nor tripled, nor quadrupled, but had increased tenfold. At all times of the day, Malfoy taunted him and insulted him, while the Slytherins formed a circle around them and laughed contemptously at him. Jeers and taunts rang in his ears everywhere, and Harry was close to the breaking point. Ron had already acted on his famous Weasley temper, which ended up with the redhead in the Hospital Wing, genitals gone.

Harry hated Malfoy, hated him with an unbridled passion. But at the same time, he wondered about the Drake Moore side of the evil Slytherin, wondered how someone so cruel and heartless could have such a kind and friendly side. Malfoy was a paradox in himself, one that Harry had no time to unravel, though he wanted to, wanted to see what was beneath all the masks and lies and disguises and walls that the blonde put up, wanted to see if the true Draco Malfoy was nothing but fragile glass, a young man that could break under even the slightest pressure. He wondered how it would feel like to break Malfoy, to make him suffer the same way the Gryffindor had been suffering. Draco Malfoy slowly became an unhealty obssession to Harry.

***

Draco was pleased with the results. His Housemates that had switched to Blaise were now being swayed, and he was sure to gain their support again soon. A Malfoy had never been bested by a Zabini and never will be. The Malfoys were powerful and had always been more powerful than the Zabinis. The Zabinis had always been a small Wizarding family that dabbled in the Dark Arts and hoped to rise through society by marriage to one of the more prominent families.

The Slytherin's lips curled in disgust as he thought of what might have happend had his father married Alexandra Zabini. He would have none of the beauty or charm he possessed now, and he would be related to Blaise Zabini, probably just as unpopular, power-seeking, and dreadfully idiotic as the other Slytherin.

It was hardly a suprise that Lucius had cursed Alexandra to St. Mungo's. He had probably been disgusted by her, how she paraded around him like a faithful puppy dog, how she bent to his every single whim. Lucius did like obedience, but he did not like obedient fools.

Draco, in hopes of finding clues to the third contest, had checked out a book from the Library that told of all of the past Founders' Prides. Some of them had most interesting contests, such as slaying a basilisk, which happened in the Founders' Pride of 1338. He learned that Aunt/Cousin Victoria had been in the 1944 Founders' Pride, along with Tom Riddle. Victoria had won. The school had closed in 1966, when Voldemort first started gaining power, though reopened in 1969, at the urgings of the Ministry and many Wizarding families, who all wanted their children to attend the best school in Britain.

Seven years later, in 1976, the Founders' Pride was again held, this time with Sixth Year James Potter for Gryffindor, Sixth Year Lucius Malfoy for Slytherin, and Fifth Year Narcissa Moore for Ravenclaw. Two Heirs and the heir of one of the most powerful Wizarding families that had ever exsisted. Narcissa had won that one.

They had had to fight against a Chimera, and the one that defeated it would be the winner, the other ones given points for their part in helping to triumph over it. The book could show the reader the events that happened during a contest, and Draco, of course, wanted to watch his parents.

During that contest, Lucius had been wounded by the Chimera. It was going to finish him off until Narcissa stepped in front of him and cast a Stunning Spell so powerful that the Chimera was knocked into the walls that surrounded the arena. So that was how everything started between them.

Draco could understand why. Lucius must still owe Narcissa a Wizard's debt, and no doubt that had caused him to want to know Narcissa, want to know why someone who was supposed to be an enemy saved him, a Malfoy. And then, they fell in love, married, and had him.

Everything that had happened between Lucius and Narcissa was a haze to him, as neither had ever told him the full story and probably never would, which just piqued his interest more.

***

Friday night, as dinner was ending, Draco made his way to the Gryffindor table, just as all the professors left. Harry groaned inwardly when he saw the blonde coming. He could never have any peace.

"Potter-"

"Sod off, Malfoy, I'm sick of your twisted little games."

"Potter, if you had any wit at all, you would be enjoying our little verbal banters. So, you're still in the company of the Weasel and the Mudblood. A disgrace, just like your father. You'll meet the same end-"

"Malfoy, get lost right now." Harry stood up, fists clenched at his sides. How dare he insult his father?

"Yeah, Malfoy, go back to your ferret cage where you belong," Ron said, standing up by Harry. Hermione looked worriedly between the two of them, then stood up as well, no doubt going to run for a professor if things became rough.

"At least I live in a cage adorned with antiques and priceless treasures, made of the finest materials in the world. Your little Weasel cage is nothing but a box made of wood, filled with bits of sawdust. I know! You can make money by selling pictures of you and Potter shagging. People would pay millions for pictures like those."

"Why-" Ron would have leapt on Draco had Hermione and Harry not held him back, Harry having cooled down a bit by now though quickly becoming angry again.

"So, Potter, restraining your precious Weasel, are you? I always knew you had a thing for S&M. Is he going to be whipped tonight for disobedience?" Draco put on a mock pout.

Harry shook in anger.

"I'm warning you, Malfoy, if you don't shut up right now-"

"Or what, Potter? You'll send me to the Hospital Wing? Your father couldn't beat my parents, and you can't either. Did you know that James Potter was the champion with the lowest score in his Founders' Pride? My mother, Narcissa Moore, won, with my father in second place. You still think you're so mighty, Potter? You are weaker than even Mudblood over there, who could at least think up of a way to get herself out of a situation. You, on the other hand, can only rely on your adoring fans. Not everyone in the world is your fan, Potter. You might do well to remember that."

Harry had had enough. He ignored Hermione and raised his wand, ready to curse Draco. However, Draco was faster. The Slytherin hit Harry with a spell before Harry could even utter a curse.

Three pairs of arms grew out of Harry's back and dangled at his sides. He could feel his trousers tighen around his groin. And as his robes were now askew, the Slytherins had a good view of his erection.

Malfoy smirked.

"Why don't you take Weasel there and go to the loo? I'm sure S&M works better when you have eight hands instead of two." With that, he left, the other Slytherins following him, laughing uproariously at the scene.

Hermione quickly came up to him and took him by one of his arms.

"We need to get you to the Hospital Wing. Ron?"

Ron came up and gingerly took a fistful of Harry's robes.

"Ron!" Hermione snapped. "Forget what they said! It's not true, so...It isn't true, right?"

"Of course not!" Ron exclaimed.

"Then help me get Harry to the Hospital Wing!"

***

Harry dreaded Monday, when they would have Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins. Slytherins had come up to him in the halls during the weekend and had taunted him about Friday night, leaving Harry with an evergrowing hatred of the blonde and an even stronger desire to unravel the mystery that was Draco Malfoy.

After Divination, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked together to Care of Magical Creatures, where the rest of the class was already gathered. When they arrived, Hagrid clapped his hands.

"Today, class, we're going ter study the LongDi. Can 'nyone tell me what they are?"

Hermione, of course, rose her hand.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"The LongDi are the mortal enemies of dragons. They will attack any dragon that they sense, though they usually do not win, as dragons are much stronger and much more powerful than they are. LongDi is Chinese for Dragon Enemy."

"Very good! Ten points ter Gryffindor. Now, foller me."

The class followed Hagrid to a box lying by his hut. Slits were in the box, though not big enough for the creatures to escape. There were at least ten of the LongDi confined. They were brown, sinous creatures, much like a serpent but with four sets of strong falcon claws on their bodies. Red eyes gleamed as they surveyed the Seventh Year Gryffindors and Slytherins. All of a sudden, they became restless.

"I'm goin' ter let one of these out, ye see. They won' cause any harm."

Hagrid carefully opened the top of the box. All of a sudden, the whole stream slipped out and jumped on Draco. They covered him from head to toe, and the rest of the students could see the falcon claws busily scratching at the blonde.

Hagrid went over and tried to remove the LongDi from Draco without harming the boy, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't succeed. Pansy became impatient and moved Draco away from the half-giant, wrenching the LongDi off her love. However, they jumped right back onto the Slytherin as soon they detached from the blonde. Crabbe and Goyle went to help her, pinning down any LongDi that she removed, but the creatures always slid out of their grasps, even flipping the two hulks into the air.

Most of the class was watching this with morbid curiosity, though Harry noticed that Blaise Zabini and Ron were enjoying this, Ron muttering something about how the git deserved something horrible.

The raven-haired boy couldn't take it anymore. Even though Draco Malfoy deserved to be put down, he did not deserve to be mutilated. And though Malfoy was an insufferable git, he was also Drake, Harry's first true friend, and his conscience would not let him forget that.

To appease his conscience, Harry decided to take matters into his own hands. The Gryffindor had looked over the book that Hermione had given him, and he had found some handy spells. The raven-haired boy aimed his wand at Malfoy and performed the Repelling Charm. A blue light shot out of his wand and shot towards the xanthochroid, forming a blue bubble around him. The LongDi were perched on top, trying to break the shield.

Hagrid took this time to recapture all the LongDi and put them back in the box., securing the locks. As the bubble faded, they could see Draco Malfoy. The blonde had not cried out once, and as they saw the damage the LongDi did, a new respect for the Slytherin fell over them all, even the Gryffindors.

Strips of skin were gone from the handsome face, raw pink flesh showing themselves to the world. Some of the flesh was mangled, indentations made in the sensitive tissue. The eyes weren't ruined, no doubt because the blonde had closed them tightly, though the eyelids had only a few thin strips of skin left. The blonde's nose was completely gone, only the bridge remaining. Only thin strips of tissue remained of the soft, pink, smooth lips. Blood streamed down his face and onto his robes, dying the cotton. The robes themselves had strips missing; the LongDi had scratched all the way to his bare skin. The holes in the black robes also showed bloodied flesh; these were just as horribly maimed as his face. All of his exposed flesh was in the same condition as his face.

Pansy emitted a wail and ran to her love. She put her arm around his waist, carefully avoiding any injuries. Draco gingerly placed an arm around the brunette's waist, and without asking for permission, the two friends walked away towards the castle.

Only when they were out of view of the rest of the class did Pansy feel Draco tremble. He was strong, but no human being could withstand a horrible onslaught like what the blond had just gone through. She used her hands and her robes to wipe off the gushing sanguine blood, even using her hair when she ran out of clean, dry surfaces. Tears fell from her eyes as she worked, and Draco raised his shaking hand and brushed them off her face.

***

That night at dinner, Harry excused himself early, saying that he had to use the loo. His conscience was bothering him again, telling him that he had to check on the mutilated Draco Malfoy, since the blonde had once been his friend.

Crabbe and Goyle walked past him as the Gryffindor made his way to the Hospital Wing. He paid them no heed and continued walking, only stopping when he reached his destination. Harry could hear voices inside and decided that it was best that he didn't enter.

A moment later, Pansy Parkinson came out, her hand clutching a small object around her neck. She did not look around her but walked the opposite way, away from Harry. The Gryffindor breathed a sigh of relief, then stepped inside the Hospital Wing.

Malfoy was the only one in the Hospital Wing at the current moment; he was in the bed right next to the door, a curtain around him, blocking him from the view of curious pupils who had heard of the events that had transpired that morning.

Harry moved the curtain aside and walked in, then moved the curtain back. Bandages were swathed around his head, his hands, everywhere that Harry could see. There were holes in the bandages for eyes, and the lips were healed, no doubt because Madame Pomfrey had worked on them first so that he could talk to any visitors that he might have.

Malfoy raised his eyes warily, thinking that he was Madame Pomfrey. When the grey eyes met emerald orbs, they stayed there, trying to dissect the Gryffindor's soul.

"Why did you help me, Potter? Being a noble Gryffindor or just so that you can gloat?" rasped Malfoy.

"I...I did it because you needed help."

Harry could tell that Malfoy had arched his eyebrow, though the bandages covered them.

"I couldn't let you just be mutilated like that. You might have been a nasty git to me and my friends for seven years, but before Hogwarts, you had been my friend, and my conscience wouldn't have let me stand by and watch while someone whom I once was friends with became disfigured, maybe for life. Consider this payment for your friendship at camp."

Harry turned around and prepared to leave.

"Thank you." The two words were barely audible, but they were clear. Thus, an uneasy friendship started between Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.

***

Voldemort looked at a prone form chained onto the stone walls.

"This is your last chance. Either you will or won't."

When the figure made no sound, he raised his wand. As he cast Avada Kedavra, he heard a chilling sentence.

"The Heir of Gryffindor and the Heir of Slytherin have set the prophecy in motion."

________________________________________

Thanks to:

Janey !

Shadowe

Kris

IcyEyes202 - You are the most wonderful person ever!!!! Thanks to you, I am realizing that I need to fine tune this chapter, which I have!!!! This fic is dedicated to you, for helping me!!!!!

And all readers!

The Long in LongDi is pronounced "lone."

Edited 10/25/02


	18. Chapter 17: Gray is the Only Safe Color

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 17

Gray is the Only Safe Color

It was gray. The sky outside was gray, gray clouds hanging overhead, waiting for a signal to unleash their burden. The air was gray, dreary and moody, wandering aimlessly. His eyes were gray, like a dust-covered mirror, reflecting everything it saw but also distorting it to the way it liked it. The books were gray, ancient wisdom filling cracked and wrinkled parchment, left undisturbed for centuries at a time. He was gray, blending in perfectly with everything.

The ocean by them was gray, the waves splashing each other as they played Tag. The tree was gray, the huge granite trunk rearing up to the sky, branches everywhere, holding up gray leaves that were no less alive than regular leaves. They were lying under the tree, robes askew, staring up at the gray balcony of life.

He pushed himself up, twin pools of green the only other color in the gray.

"Why?"

He also pushed himself up.

"Why?" he mimicked.

He put his hand under his chin and tilted it up, emerald gazing into gray.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Tell me, please." His hand was back at his side, though his lips were now milimeters away from his lips.

He looked away.

"It's not for you to know."

"It is. If we want to change this, all of this."

"Who says we can?" His face had turned back.

"I do." And with that, he leaned forward and closed the distance between them.

***

It was unfair. It was uneasy. But it had to be done. _Leave it to Kyon to think up of something this horrible, _Draco thought, as he sat across from Harry in the Library. The Potions Master had assigned them a research project. A research project! They only had one week to get it done, so the two had agreed to meet on Saturday.

Both of them were tense, uneasy. Minds flickered away, to another world, a world of trees and skies and oceans and clouds and air. There was no small talk; neither knew what to say nor did they want to say anything at all.

The two flipped through pages of anicent tomes, looking for information on the Blood Bond Potion. Kyon had told them that they were due to start on it next week, and he would not talk about it at all but would expect them to know already what to do. Kyon had also hinted to them that this might be on the N.E.W.T.s. Thus, the two young men decided to write down everything they saw that might be useful.

The Blood Bond Potion was a curious potion. It was made in two stages, the first stage the basic ingredients, the second stage the ingredients that would make it into what it was. The potion would last only a week, not matter how much ingredients were used. But its effects were most curious.

If the drinker was loved by the brewer, he/she would be able to withstand any seductive charms, and spells/potions/magic thrown at him/her, though not powerful ones. If the drinker was a friend, he/she couldn't withstand the seductive charms but could withstand the spells thrown at him/her. But if the brewer hated the drinker, then the drinker would be especially vulnerable to the abovementioned. However, that wasn't truly the curious part.

If the brewer loved the drinker, then the drinker would be almost invulnearble. However, anything that happens to the brewer happens to the drinker. The same goes for friendship, but if the brewer hated the drinker, then whatever the drinker undergoes, the brewer does also. But when the two people both brewed and drank the potion, then really interesting things happen.

If the two loved each other, then they would be invulnerable to nearly everything, except for powerful spells, seduction spells, unicorns, griffins, and dragons. However, if one of the two was immune to one of the above , then the other also would be. If the two were friends, they would be quite invulnerable, except for the abovementioned, seduction spells, veelas, pixies, and werewolves. If the two hated each other, then they would be invulnearble to all except powerful spells. They would also gain increased resistance to seduction spells. However, whatever damage that happens to one also happens to the other.

If one brewer loved the other, but the other hated him/her, then the two would be invulnerable to everything except the most powerful magics. However, the one who is hated would be vulnerable to love potions while the one who is loved would be vulnerable to seduction spells. If one loved the other, but the other was only friends with the former, then they would be invulnerable to everything except for powerful spells, seudction spells, and love potions. The former would also be vulnerable to the Grim and Dementors while the latter would be vulnerable to unicorns and faeries. Then, there was the combination of friendship/hate. This combination would yield the two invulnerable to everything except for powerful spells and truth potions. It also made Memory Charms and Illusioning Charms unable to be cast by the two. But these three combos didn't have the bond like the others, i. e. that whatever happens to one of them happens only to that one, and not the other. All in all, this potion was the most bizarre one they had studied in the seven years the two young men had been at Hogwarts.

With the amount of effects, the number of ingredients, the two stages and the quanity of instructions for the potion, the essay, which had to be at least three feet long, took Draco and Harry five hours to complete, the finished product five feet and eight inches long. During this whole time, nothing broke the silence but for the scratching of quill against parchment and the occasional "excuse me"s and "sorry"s.

The weariness and unease seemed to diminish as the end of the five hours drew to a close. Draco wrote while Harry looked for the material. There was silent cooperation and an understanding agreement between the two of them.

As the two young men walked out of the Library, heading toward the juncture where they would split and take their own paths toward their respective common rooms, their footsteps echoing down the corridors, Draco and Harry heard loud footsteps heading away from them up ahead. Soon, quiet sobbing was heard, floating down the hallway.

Harry ran down the corridor, Draco rolling his eyes but follwing anyways, curious. They followed the sobbing, which lead them to a classroom. The door was ajar, and they could see a girl crying inside. Harry gently opened the door, careful to stop the hinges from creaking.

A mass of tangled brown hair fell down ungainly around a face. Streams of tears shot out of brown eyes that fluttered uncontrollably and ran down the face, red and flushed. She was breathing erratically, sobs coming every few seconds, sometimes a sob prolonging for ten or more seconds. Her shoulders shook uncontrollaby, and she had wrapped her arms around herself, rocking her body on the hard stone floor. A golden necklace laid broken on the floor beside her, links ripped apart, gleaming brightly, as if trying to divert the attention towards itself.

It was Pansy. Draco hurried forward and wrapped his arms around her, running his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her. The brunette didn't seem to have noticed either of them, especially not Harry, who stood awkwardly by the door, not knowing what to do.

"Shh...Pansy, I'm here."

"Draco?" she asked, looking up, as if he was a mirage. Pansy reached up and touched Draco's face, tracing every line with her index finger. When she was sure that Draco was real, she flung her arms around him, burying her face in Draco's robes.

"I...I thought I was going to be taken. I really did. He was so much stronger...and I...I couldn't do anything to stop him. He...he ripped your gift off, Draco. And he..." Pansy was unable to continue.

Draco then noticed the state that her robes were in. They were tattered and ripped, gigangic tears strewn randomly about the fabric. Her jeans were half unzipped, exposing a few stray pubic hairs.

"Who did this, Pansy? Tell me."

Her answer was muffled as she said it against his robes, but he heard her clearly.

"Blaise."

Draco turned to look at Harry, then moved his head. Harry knew that he wanted him to leave and did so. The Gryffindor knew nothing about Pansy Parkinson, and his being there would only make it worse. She might bring the whole school running if she discovered that he had witnessed that whole scene.

As Harry walked away, he felt a tinge of jealousy running through him. Why was it that Pansy had unraveled more of Draco than anyone else? What was it about her that made Draco treat her so...so...concernedly but not even willing to try to understand him, to like him? And the one true question: Who was Draco Malfoy?

***

"You still haven't told me why."

"You won't understand."

"Try me."

"What's there to talk about?"

"Everything. I want to know, I want to understand you, see who you truly are."

"No one knows me."

"Then let me, let me see if I can."

"Fine then, if you really want to. It hurt me when you rejected me, chose him over me, over me, of all people! No one had ever rejected me, much less chosen someone of lesser standing over me. I lived to torment you, to make you suffer, make you hurt the same way you hurt me. And then, I found out that we had been friends. Even though we had been friends, you chose someone who you had just met over me, the first friend you ever had. How would you feel if I did that, chose a complete stranger, especially one that you hated, over you? How would you feel if I chose your one enemy over you? It made me hate you, hate you even though you had once been my friend, hate you with undaunted passion. I wanted to hurt you, but more importantly, to humiliate you, the same way you humiliated me. I wanted you to experience what I felt, I wanted you to experience how it felt to have your once very best friend turn on you, betray you."

"I...I'm sorry, I never knew that it meant so much to you."

He had turned away, gray eyes looking at the gray ocean beside them, the waves were more lively than ever, playfully slapping each other down. A gray wind blew past them, moving the gray leaves and the gray grass, all leaning towards the direction the wind was going, trying to move along with the air.

Green eyes followed gray eyes, followed them to the ocean and the gray sun that was setting down the horizon, gray rays beaming at gray clouds.

"I've never seen a sunset before. I once thought that during sunsets, the world would right itself, and everybody would live happily ever after. I believed that sunsets were the one time when everything good would happen, when everything right would happen."

"How do you know it's not?"

Gray eyes turned to look at green eyes, which were gazing at him with a glittering green emotion, hopeful, wanting.

"Prove to me. Prove to me that what I see in your eyes is real."

He leaned forward so that his lips were a fraction of a milimeter away from his lips. So close that he could feel his breath, yet so far that he was dying, dying of waiting. Then, without warning, he closed the gap between them, hands coming up to entangle in his hair.

He pulled him down with him, pulled him down so that he was on top. He had wanted this so bad, had been waiting for this so bad. And as tongues entangled, as mouths opened up to each other, as he bit down on his lip, as he moaned, as his hands gripped his hair harder, he felt that maybe sunsets were the one time when everything right happened, no matter what color they were.

***

Monday had arrived. Another day of Potions, another day of torture, of uneasiness between Harry and Draco. It was hard, hard to admit that anything had happened. Or actually, acknowledge that nothing had happened between them. It was so hard to stop denying to themselves everything. They couldn't, not yet.

As soon as the class had sat down, Kyon had started them on the Blood Bond Potion. He had told them that they would be testing it, which prompted the students to work diligently, as none of them wanted to drink poison or some other potion with a disasterdly effect.

Even more ingredients were needed for this than for the Power Potential Potion. The first stage was the the true potion brewing stage. The second stage was the making of the Blood Bond. Thus, Harry and Draco worked hard, doing exactly what their essay said.

The Blood Bond Potion was very complicated. They often needed to mix ingredients in a separate place before putting them into the potion, and all the ingredients had to be added in a specific order. In other words, they had to follow the instructions to the letter.

Within twenty minutes, they heard an explosion. As the misty haze cleared, Harry and Draco turned to look at the source of the sound. Crabbe and Goyle's cauldron had exploded, bits of copper littering the classroom. Their bodies were covered in a slimy green goo, and as the whole class watched, their girth shrunk quickly until they were thinner than even Ron. The two Slytherins looked unbalanced, large heads and thick necks on top of a matchstick-thin body.

Laughter burst throughout the room as the two left for the Hospital Wing. Neville was shaken and refused to touch the potion, afraid of destroying the classroom. Ron and Pansy glared at each other with distaste, as if saying that no doubt the other will mess up somehow. Harry and Draco concentrated harder than ever, taking turns adding ingredients and checking off the instructions so that they wouldn't repeat or forget something.

Finally, as class was about to end, the last ingredient, fifteen rat tails, were added, and the potion turned clear, the bottom of the cauldron exposing its black surface to the world. Kyon swept by them, appraising their work.

"Good work, Mr. Potter. Mr. Malfoy, you ought to be thankful that you're partnered with such a talented Potions expert."

Draco rolled his eyes as soon as Kyon turned his back on them.

***

The next Monday arrived quickly, and the second stage of the Blood Bond Potion was about to take place. Some of the potions were green or yellow instead of clear, and the partners that made them looked apprehensive.

Harry and Draco's potion was placed on their desk. The second stage had to be done exactly a week after the first stage. Harry unscrewed the vial and poured a bit into Draco's ladle. The Gryffindor then pricked his middle finger with a sharp needle, careful to let only three drops of blood fall into the ladle.

Draco did the same thing, though with Harry's ladle, and the two young men sat looking at each other, each willing the other to drink first. Draco took the initiative and drank the potion. Nothing happened. Harry followed Draco and also drank.

In other corners of the classroom, the most strange things were happening. Blaise and Nott had been turned into hermaphrodites, Blaise's breasts trying to burst out of the small robes while Nott lay on the ground, having fainted from the unexpected occurence. On the other side, Lavendar and Parvati had been shrunk until they were no larger than a paper clip. They were now levitating themselves onto the tables so that someone could reverse the gone-awry potion.

All the other pairs' potions had worked, and Kyon announced that a test would be given over the Blood Bond Potion the next Monday, engendering groans from many of the students, especially the ones that had failed to produce a working potion. They had taken written tests before, and there were always 25-75 questions, plus a ten inch essay. And he expected them to complete it in one class period! Many of the pupils sighed as another weekend was going to be devoted to studying Potions.

***

The following Monday, at breakfast, Dumbledore made an announcement.

"This Saturday is a Hogsmeade weekend and also, St. Valentine's Day! A St. Valentine's Day Ball will be held that night, and younger students may be taken by prefects to Hogsmeade. The ball will be from, again, seven to midnight. Champions, I look forward to seeing you and your partners!"

As he sat back down, the Great Hall was lit abuzz with chattering. Harry had no idea who to go with, and he decided to just take whoever that asked him. Ron and Hermione were also in despair, neither of them having the courage to ask the other to the Ball as each believed that the other was uninterested.

Draco, meanwhile, put a comforting arm around Pansy.

"Don't worry, I won't let him get near you," he whispered.

Pansy had recovered almost completely, but she was always struck with terror at the sight of Blaise. Nothing seemed to have changed with the brunette, but Draco knew that a wound would be left in her for perhaps the rest of her life.

Pansy nodded. The necklace had been fixed and now rested again on Pansy's neck, but she treasured it now more than ever. Everything good in her life was due to Draco, everything.

***

In Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid announced a surprise, which did not bode well with most of the students, as they didn't think they could take what Hagrid had in store for them and still manage to pass the Potions test.

Hagrid lead them to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where a group of Veelas were standing. Harry had only seen female Veela before, so this was the first time he had a glimpse of male ones. The male ones were like the female ones, with pale hair that was a value away from being white, and skin that was glowing like the moon. They were like versions of Draco Malfoy, except that they could turn into even nastier creatures when provoked.

"Fer yer 'ducation, the Veela 'ave decided ter danc' fer ye."

A rippling murmur spread though the class, many with disbelief etched on their faces. Hermione, however, felt that it was a great way to test the Blood Bond Potion.

The class watched as the female Veelas started dancing, bodies bending in unimaginable ways. Then, the male Veelas joined in, with even wilder moves. Soon, almost everyone surrounded the Veela, including Hagrid, trying to show off.

Pansy observed Draco and Potter, who were both standing away from the Veelas, gazing at the rest of the class. Why wasn't Potter with everyone else? Draco was immune, but Potter wasn't, unless...Just as she realized the truth, the increased resistance Pansy gained from the Blood Bond Potion caved to the Veelas' beckonings, and she joined everyone else.

***

Harry was confused. How was he able to withstand the Veela, when he had almost jumped off the Top Box in Fourth Year? This didn't make any sense, unless it had something to do with the Blood Bond Potion...The answers slowly sunk into Harry's mind.

***

Draco watched Harry. Why wasn't he trying to show off like the rest of the class? How was he able to resist? Draco could, but Harry couldn't. Unless...Oh no, it was true.

***

Harry struggled with Draco's emotions towards him as he walked back to the castle after class. Draco loved him. But he didn't love Draco, did he? After all, he loved Dracina. But then, why did the Mirror of Erised show him a world like that? And the dreams, why them?

He was not going to admit it, not until he had no choice.

***

Draco sighed. Just great for Harry to know that he loved him. There was no use denying it anymore. But why, just why him? Why couldn't it even have been Pansy?

***

He looked out over the gray sea, a place where he had spent so much time with him. He had admitted it to himself, and he knew. He would most likely reject him.

Footsteps echoed behind him as he stepped beside him.

"Thank you."

He looked at him with confusion.

"You helped show me everything."

And then lips crushed onto his, and he was lost, lost in his heart, lost in his mind, lost in a whirl of passion, of want, of need, needing him so bad, needing him to love him back, to be there for him, just to be. He needed everything about him, wanted him to keep kissing him, to never stop, to never let go of him. They were perfect.

He felt as if he had finally been able to unravel a little of him, to see who he was, and he wanted more, needed more. He needed this, he needed it so much, wanted it so much. There was nothing, yet there was everything. There was passion, lust, want, need, and love, mingled in with a thin layer of confusion, understanding, and uneasiness.

As they broke apart, he gestured to their surroundings and asked a single question.

"Why?"

"Because gray is the only safe color."

____________________________________________

Thanks to:

Pale Rider - Lol! Nev or Seam?? I haven't read ones like that. Again, D isn't the almighty God. And I'm glad he isn't, because I just couldn't stand D like that. I tend to write powerful Ds, but not almighty Ds. There's always beings more powerful than him. And how did you guess who's is the third contest? D, bipolar? Lol! Also, Hagrid wasn't careless. Sorry for the lack of better terms, but the LongDi were really eager to attack Draco, which is how they were able to escape from Hagrid. And thanks! I feel loved! =) I hope this chap solved your suggestions!

IcyEyes202 - Wow! I'm on your fav authors and your fav stories list!!! As I just said, I feel loved! =) ^_^

Prophetess of Hearts - It's been ages since you reviewed!! I thought you had forgotten about me!!! ~tear slips out of her eyes~ Thanks for reviewing!!! You are the one person who's been here for me since the beginning!

And all readers!


	19. Chapter 18: One Down, One to Go

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 18

One Down, One to Go

The week passed by quickly and before anyone knew it, St. Valentine's Day had arrived.

Hogwarts had been festooned in whites, pinks, and reds of all sorts. Roses blossomed on the grounds, many students picking bouquets for their beloved. The Great Hall had been decorated with red and pink streamers, carnations of similar colors growing out of the stone walls. The torches had been replaced with Fire Lilies, white lilies that held flames within the delicate petals. Mistletoe Spread, though it had been forbidden, had been placed strategically in many corridors by a group of romantic Hufflepuffs collaborating with their Ravenclaw friends, and many couples claimed one to themselves, making out in the stone hallways. Mistletoe Spread trapped all who passed under them until a kiss was exchanged between all of those trapped. Ron and Hermione endeavored to trap each other in one that hadn't been claimed, though to no avail.

Many leprechauns flew around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, delivering Valentines of all sorts to pupils; singing ones, store-brought cards, anything and everything imaginable. Even with Voldemort and the Death Eaters looming ever closer, the students of Hogwarts enjoyed themselves on this festive day, with no worries at all about the dark future that was descending nearer with each passing day.

***

Harry had been asked a few days ago by Sally-Anne Perks, a shy Hufflepuff who had fidgeted nervously when she asked him to the Ball and had blushed red when he consented. Harry was just glad to have a partner. He wanted Dracina, he did, but she hadn't been seen since Halloween, and he knew not how to contact her.

Ron had been complaining for several days about how Hermione wasn't interested in him, and when Harry suggested for him to tell her how he felt, the redhead became hysterical, saying that she would never come near him again if he did. Harry then suggested for him to not go but Ron adamantly refused, insisting on going so that he could see Hermione's date. The redhead hadn't forgotten about Krum and Fourth Year.

Draco Malfoy was another problem. The Slytherin was in love with him. In love. When had the enmity between them turned into love? Or was the hatred just to cover up the love? And then, why the dreams? And what about what the Mirror of Erised had shown him? He loved Dracina, didn't he? The tentative friendship between them had been broken, the fine thread snapped by the truth that fateful Monday. Harry was confused about his own emotions and there was no one to confide in. No one who would take all of this calmly and rationally.

***

Draco spent the day accompanying Pansy in Hogsmeade, where she spent much money for the upcoming Ball that evening.

First, they went to Witchwear where Pansy bought new dress robes. Morgan gave him a scrutinizing look that even he couldn't place, though she didn't insult him in anyway and was actually quite helpful to Pansy.

Next, Pansy went to a shop that sold cosmetics of all kinds, makeup, perfume, lotion, it was enough to make Draco run away screaming if he was someone like Ron. The brunette spent approximately two hours in the shop, browsing through the aisles and asking Draco if he thought cinnamon or lavender suited her better, to which he replied neither, which just caused Pansy to stick two more bottles in his face.

Then, Pansy went to a dingy little shop that sold many Dark Magic items. There were quite a few that Draco wanted to try on Blaise, though he didn't buy anything, Pansy bought almost one of everything. Draco wondered vaguely why she would need any of it.

After that, Pansy dragged Draco to the Three Broomsticks as she was freezing from walking around outside. A gush of warm air rushed to meet them as they opened the door. Inside, many people sat, chatting happily about the upcoming Ball and other cheery events.

Less than ten minutes later, the two Slytherins were on their way back to the castle, since Pansy had insisted on having at least three hours to prepare.

***

That night, the whole of Hogwarts gathered around the doors to the Great Hall ten minutes before seven. All of them were dressed in their finest, trying to impress that special someone. There was much flirting, holding hands, and snuggling among those present. This was the one day of the year devoted to lovers, the one day for them.

Fifteen minutes before seven, Pansy had finally emerged, ready for the Ball. Draco almost didn't recognize her at first from the way she looked.

The brunette was wearing splendid robes of pale pink, the robes nicely accentuating her curves. Her makeup was done so that one could tell that it was there, but barely. She had let her hair down, free of any adornments, and it was long. The dark brown hair reached to the middle of the Slytherin's back, long, smooth, and glossy, the way Draco remembered it.

They had kissed each other's cheeks, for formality's sake, and her skin was soft, softer than a baby's bottom. It was also smooth, free of any blemishes or blotches. The necklace that he had given to her rested on her neck, gleaming like a star. Pansy always took great care in her appearance but it seemed she was even more self-conscious today.

They had led the Slytherins up to the Great Hall, where the rest of the Houses had gathered, smiles on every face. Pansy and Draco split from the rest of their House and moved by the other champions.

Boot was with some Fifth Year; Bones also. Potter was with a Seventh Year Hufflepuff, some friend of Bones named Sophie or something like that. They were all dressed in their best. Potter had actually tamed his hair for once, and it looked...good. The xanthochroid wondered briefly what it would feel like to run his hands through it before he caught the Gryffindor staring at him and glanced away.

Merlin, when had he fallen in love with Potter? Or was it Harry now? Draco didn't know. Denial had been so much easier. At least back then, he could happily insult Potter and not think about how wonderfully splendid Potter looked.

Professor McGonagall walked towards them, wearing red velvet robes, though her hair was still up in a bun.

"You will enter after the rest of the school enters. Your table is again, by the professors. Enjoy your evening."

The doors to the Great Hall opened, and the population of Hogwarts entered, many chatting happily, holding hands, goofy grins on their faces. Ron and Hermione were both surrounded by fellow Gryffindors, glancing at each other longingly when each thought that the other wasn't looking. It was funny how Granger was so smart, yet couldn't figure out that her affection for the Weasel was returned, mused Draco absently as the two love-struck Gryffindors passed by them.

When everyone else was seated in the Great Hall, the champions entered. The decorations were perhaps even more extravagant than it had been at Yule. The room was bereft of light except for the twinkling stars on the enchanted ceiling, shining softly down upon them, trying their best to give the Great Hall a romantic atmosphere for the couples to enjoy. Pink, white, and red rose petals fell down upon the eight, entangling in hair, resting on robes and skin alike.

The walls were no longer the color of worn stone but a sweet red, enhancing the romantic atmosphere. A bouquet of roses lay on every chair, and a vase of them stood at the center of each table. In the middle of the Great Hall was a large dancing area, behind it two tables, one seated with the professors, the other empty. A table of food stood behind them; Draco could see heart-shaped cookies and spaghetti. The xanthochroid had no doubt that some couple was going to share the spaghetti and end up kissing when the two lovers both ended up eating the same strand.

The champions walked over to their table and sat down, Draco carefully avoiding Harry. At the next table, Professor Dumbledore stood up, his long white hair and beard shining in the dim room.

"Welcome to the St. Valentine's Ball! I hope all of you enjoy this wonderful evening with the one you love! Today, you may dance Muggle-style with your partner, as it is St. Valentine's Day! Now, may I present Erato Luvelich! Champions, lead the dancing!"

A witch dressed in robes of the palest pink climbed onto the stage, rose petals settling in her black hair. A slow tune drifted out of thin air, and she began to sing.

The champions stood up and moved onto the dance floor. Draco wrapped his arms around Pansy's waist while Pansy wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing against him. She smelled like jasmine. They may not truly like Muggles but that did not mean that they didn't know about their culture.

Around him, many couples were doing the same thing, arms wrapped around necks and waists, bodies pressed against each other, not ever wanting to be separated from each other. There were even couples kissing as they danced, love pouring out from them and into the atmosphere.

Draco found all of this to be irritating and annoying, how everyone gazed lovingly and longingly into everyone else's eyes, how everyone was acting all sappy and lovey dovey. It was insane, it was stupid. Yet, the Slytherin wondered how it would feel like to have Harry love him back, then shook himself out of it, telling himself that love was only for the weak, though not believing it himself.

Draco soon found himself staring at Harry and Sophie. The two were also dancing Muggle-style, though the Gryffindor seemed a bit uncomfortable, no doubt remembering the Yule Ball and Turpin, who had already left the Great Hall twice that night, no doubt shagging or giving blowjobs in some closet or deserted classroom.

Merlin, he wished he was holding Harry around the waist, the other young man's arms around his neck, bodies pressed sinfully against each other, reveling in each other's warmth and embrace. None of this was lost on Pansy, who knew who Draco was looking at.

"You love him," she whispered softly. It was neither an opinion nor a question. It was a fact, a statement.

Draco looked down at her, surprise flashing fleetingly in the Malfoy Grey eyes before they turned calm once more.

"I do."

Pansy removed one of her hands and cupped his cheek tenderly.

"I wish you the best."

"Thank you."

Pansy had always known that Draco didn't love her, didn't love her back the way she loved him. Back then, it was fondness and adoration, now it was just fondness and friendliness. She didn't want to let him go, couldn't bear to let him go.

How many times in a lifetime does one find his/her true love? Pansy loved Draco, loved the sarcastic and cynical blonde with everything she had, was willing to die and more for him. Yet, she wasn't the one he loved.

It was Potter, the one person whom he had been obsessed with since First Year, ever since Potter rejected his offer and became friends with the Weasel. And over time, the obsession, the hate, the passion, it must have somehow turned into love.

It was time to let Draco go, let him be happy, let him experience love the way she had experienced it, let him feel joyful and carefree for once, even if it wasn't with her.

***

Harry found himself gazing into Draco Malfoy's steely gray eyes. He was holding Pansy, though his eyes were staring at Harry. The Gryffindor didn't know what to think.

It seemed that everyone who had made a significant impact on his life was related to Draco Malfoy somehow. Or was him. His first true friend, Drake Moore. His archrival, Draco Malfoy. His admirer, Draco Malfoy. His love, Dracina Moore.

They were so uncannily alike. Their initials were all DM. Their names were all forms of Draconis. Their last names all were related to Malfoy; the Moores, after all, had married the French family two times.

Who truly was Dracina? She had been at Hogwarts that once, and then, she had disappeared, never seen again. Draco Malfoy seemed to know her but never did give Harry any important information about her. Unless, his first guess was right.

The truth dawned upon Harry like a giant tidal wave splashing onto a deserted beach, washing the sand away and exposing the long ago buried skeletons beneath it, sand ingrained into cracks in the bones, the bones themselves black with age. The sheer horror of the truth overwhelmed Harry.

***

The next day, as Harry woke up, the truth immediately pounced on him and forced him to think about everything, to reevaluate everything that he knew, or he thought he knew.

Draco Malfoy loved him. He loved Draco Malfoy. When had he fallen in love with the blonde, sarcastic, cynical, absolutely horrid and insulting yet undeniably handsome and elegant Slytherin? Or should he ask himself how? When had the loathing turned into love?

Everything was so confusing. It was. Harry had never thought himself to be able to even like Draco Malfoy as a friend, and then all of a sudden, the two became friends, though very cautious and uneasy friends at that. Next, the Gryffindor discovered that the Slytherin loved him, and guess what, he loved the blonde back.

At least, the dreams and what the Mirror of Erised had shown him made sense now. Yet reality could never be so perfect. He and Draco were destined to be on opposite sides of the war, destined to kill each other and tear each other apart. Or were they? Nothing was going to be easy, not with their predetermined paths in life, the paths that they had trodden on for so long, paths that won't be easy to deter, to change. Yet they had to, if all of this was to work.

Denial had never seemed better to Harry, yet he couldn't go back. There was no choice but to keep on going and take what he received graciously.

***

The weekend passed quickly, and another week of school soon arrived. Draco and Harry still hadn't figured out what they had to do for the third contest, and they were now frantic, the problems they were having with their feelings and each other adding onto the long list of burdens for the two young men.

Harry, determined to put an end to his problems with Draco, passed him a note in Potions.

Draco opened it and was surprised, to say the very least, though his face was as listless as ever.

_Draco,_

Meet me in the Astronomy Tower tonight at eleven.

Harry

What could the Gryffindor want with him? Draco truly had no inkling of an idea what to expect. The blonde folded the note and quickly hid it from sight before anyone, especially Kyon, could spy it, though not before Pansy's watchful eye had caught sight of it.

After Potions, Pansy caught up with Draco and asked him about Harry's note. Draco grudgingly showed it to her.

Pansy quickly scanned it, then handed it back to Draco, whose face was indifferent. She had a suspicion about what all this was to be about.

***

Harry paced back and forth in the Astronomy Tower, one hand holding his Invisibility Cloak, in case Filch or maybe Mrs. Norris showed up, and he would have to make a run for it. What if Draco didn't show up?

Moments later, a young man revealed himself to the Gryffindor, pale golden hair glinting in the moonlight shining through the window, Invisibility Cloak on one arm.

"What do you want to talk to me about, Potter? Make it quick. I have better things to do than waste time with you."

"Draco..."

"When have we been on a first-name basis, Potter?"

"Since now. Draco, I know."

"If this is all you want to say, then I'm leaving." Draco made to put his Invisibility Cloak on.

"Wait!" Harry cried. "Don't you want to know what I feel?"

"Does it matter? Just keep this to yourself, and you'll be safe."

"Draco...Gray doesn't have to be the only safe color," Harry said. 

Draco looked at him with surprise.

"How do you know?"

He then understood.

"Why do you care?"

"You know why. I'm willing, willing to change all of this." Harry gestured to everything around them. "It doesn't matter what your opinions are, they don't have to be all gray."

"Easy for you to say. If I want to stay alive, they do."

"It doesn't matter. I'll save you. I'll be your hero instead of the world's. I'll save you instead of everyone else. I've already proven what I feel for you once. Do I have to again?"

Draco made no move or any reply, prompting the Gryffindor to walk towards the Slytherin. The blonde stood his ground, though a fleeting emotion that Harry couldn't name passed onto the smooth face for a brief second before apathy, once again, reigned over his expression.

Harry put his hand under Draco's chin and tilted it up, studying the shining gray eyes under the moonlight washing over them both. He then leaned down and kissed the inviting lips.

It was even more intense than it had been in the dreams. Those lips were so soft, so wonderfully soft. He wanted Draco, needed Draco, loved Draco. There was passion, there was always passion.

It soon became less chaste and even more passionate, tongues and teeth joining in on the fun. Draco's hands gripped Harry's hair tightly, as if they were trying to pull the strands of black out of the scalp, and Harry had pushed Draco against the stone wall, body pressed against Draco's tightly. He could feel Draco's chest moving up and down against his, feel his heart beating, as if running a race against his own.

The kiss was full of need, of want, of passion. Tongues entered mouths greedily, teeth bit down, showing ownership, marking their property. All too soon, the two boys pulled apart.

Draco gazed into Harry's eyes.

"Harry..."

And then, they were going at it again, snogging in the one place in Hogwarts that was known as the makeout place, known as the place of lovers.

And standing several paces away from them, a lonesome girl, hidden beneath a Merging Cloak, smiled sadly as a single tear slid down her cheek.

***

Victoria smiled sadly as she watched Harry and Draco kiss in the Astronomy Tower. Oh, how they reminded her of the past, of Tom. But now wasn't the time to turn nostalgic, to reminisce about times long gone, times that never could be again.

It was about time. One down, one to go. Oh, she could only hope that he would realize what he had to do. Everything would soon begin.

_______________________________

Thanks to:

Fate's Child

Slashybubble - We wouldn't want that now, would we! And I'm sure blue skin clashes horribly with every hair color except for blue and purple! (Which I'm sure that you don't have)

mandraco - Thankys! Twisted? This isn't twisted yet...will be in the future, though only mildly twisted (to me at least), unlike "Just This?", which was truly twisted, but it was also great! Clever? Nah! Some of these chaps weren't even planned out!

Colibi

And all readers!

I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but I was busy writing "True Allegiance" today, and I skipped dinner to finish writing this! And of course, my beta has to look over this first! However, I promise that I WILL make it up to all of you by posting two chapters in one week in the near future!


	20. Chapter 19: Twisted Game of Trust and F...

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and o!bjects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 19

Twisted Game of Trust and Faith

When Draco returned to his dorm, carefully tiptoeing so as not to wake Blaise and Nott, he was met with a peculiar sight. As the blonde prepared himself for bed, his eyes fell on the dragon figurine from the second contest.

Before, the dragon's paws were empty, holding nothing but air. Now, a thin scroll was nestled in between the claws. How intriguing. Unless...

_To realize true feeling, best look inside..._

Once discovered, can this go on...

Trust in your heart...

The truth will set you free...

This was not bloody funny. Some unknown person had insisted on his realizing his love for Pot—No, it was Harry now—to receive the clues to the third contest. But who was it that knew so much? Who knew what he felt before he knew it himself? And who was cruel and sneaky enough to do this?

***

Victoria smiled mischievously. Little Draco. With so much potential in him, so much potential to rise above everyone else, the dragon that he was.

But he was destined to fly only if he could save the other and be saved by the other. A minor inconvenience, it had seemed, but maybe not. Maybe not anymore, since the circumstances had turned in their favor.

He was growing into a big dragon now. A big dragon, the dragon that will rule over the rest of them, take her place in the cycle when all this was completed.

The dragon long ago prophesized about by the First, the dragon long ago seen, the dragon long ago destined for greatness. Her proud dragon, her Draco.

***

Harry felt relieved when he entered the Gryffindor Seventh Year boys' dorms, Invisibility Cloak swishing behind him. His troubles with Draco were finally over.

What was it that they had now? Definitely not enmity or hatred. Friendship, of course. Love, surely. But was it the start of a beautiful and happily ever after relationship? Or was this to be the beginning of the end for the both of them?

He had promised to save the blonde, promised to be his hero. He had promised to save him instead of everyone else, to be his hero instead of everyone else's. And even though he fully meant what he had said and was willing to, what if it was all for nothing?

And what about Draco's marriage contract with Parkinson? He wouldn't be able to stand it if the two were married; he needed to be the one lying against the blonde at night, holding him, claiming him, loving him. Harry didn't want to have a secret relationship with Draco, not when everything was over. He wanted to be married to Draco in front of everyone, to let everyone know that Draco was his and only his.

So, what was it that they had between them?

As the Gryffindor prepared to sink into bed, his eye caught his miniature crystal griffin. And in its claws was a thin scroll. How had it gotten there? Words surfaced in Harry's mind.

_Free your feelings to move in the game..._

Love's not just a name, or fame...

Believe in your feelings...

Trust its dealings...

The dragon looms and waits...

Set yourself free, 'tis your fate...

Who had known about what he felt before even he did? Was it Dumbledore, who always seemed to know everything? Or was it someone else, someone who knew everything, someone who played a greater part in all this than anyone had previously thought?

Harry didn't know. In time, everything would be revealed, it always was.

***

Draco carefully slipped the tiny sheet of parchment out of the dragon's paws. It was thin and very fragile, though the parchment was smooth, quite new. The Slytherin unrolled the scroll gently, and mercurial eyes scanned the green ink scrawling across the brown.

_Take Harry Potter's Firebolt_.

How could they make him do this? He couldn't do this to Harry, not now. This had been set up so that right after he and Harry became involved, he would be faced with a horrible decision. To betray Harry's trust and win, or follow his heart and lose.

If he did steal Harry's Firebolt, then he would win, but he would lose Harry. And he couldn't live with that, couldn't live without the Boy Who Lived, not after what just happened. But if he lost this contest, then he wouldn't be able to regain his current lead. And when Lucius came home this summer, no doubt going to force him to be initiated into the Death Eaters, he was not going to be gentle with the Slytherin.

What was worth more to him, Harry or his well-being? Draco didn't know.

***

Harry gingerly slid the scroll out of the griffin's claws, the parchment bumping against the crystal several times. The Gryffindor unrolled the rolled-up parchment and read the instructions for the next contest.

_Retrieve Draco Malfoy's Merging Cloak._

What was a Merging Cloak in the first place? And supposing that he discovered what he was supposed to retrieve, could he do this to Draco?

He couldn't betray Draco, he just couldn't. The raven-haired young man wouldn't be able to face Draco in battle, wouldn't be able to do anything to the blonde. And Harry was sure that the young Malfoy would follow in his father's footsteps if Harry betrayed him.

But if he didn't do anything, then he would undoubtedly lose this contest. And for the sake of his family and his House, he couldn't lose.

This was very, very unfair.

***

Victoria looked at them hesitating, shaking her head.

_If you think that's hard, then you won't be able to pass your Tests._

Really. That was a very easy decision, a sort of pre-test in a way, not that they knew about their Tests. Tests that would test everything they had in them. She and her were both in the process of passing their Tests. Tests that were prophesized about by the First.

She had, in a way, changed their third contests. Not that it was going to matter, what they had to do. Victoria had also discovered what their fourth contest would require them to do, and it had been surprising, the task. 

Really, Dumbledore was helping her without knowing it. But that was good. It made everything so much easier.

The pieces were almost in position. Soon, the last game will begin. And only they can win. If they lost, the next chance won't come for a very long time. And that meant it would be harder the second time around, harder to save both of them the second time around.

***

It was hard for Harry and Draco to act as normal as they can the next time they saw each other in class. It was hard to keep the hatred, the enmity up. It was hard to insult each other while wishing to be snogging someplace private, someplace where they could be themselves instead of maintaining a tedious, difficult facade.

Neither knew about Pansy. Pansy, who was skilled at hiding and discovering obscured secrets, skilled at brushing away cobwebs that hid the truth, the truth covered up with shrewdly and artistically woven lies, lies that seemed plausible. Except they weren't.

The brunette knew more about certain things than even Harry and Draco did. She knew about Vince and Greg, not that they knew she knew. Draco always overlooked the two hulks, thinking that they were nothing but gigantic walking boulders, minions that were bred to obey everything and anything he said.

But Pansy knew better. She knew who they truly were, whom they hid away from the rest of the public. She knew their weaknesses, their strengths, their loyalties. They were very clandestine, very slippery. Pretending to be stupid was a good act, an act that even Draco hadn't seen through, the mastermind that he was.

However, Pansy had. She knew that they observed, that they observed things for their benefits. After all, they didn't want to be on the wrong side of the current war. And she knew that they had enough information to blackmail almost anyone in the school, information that could very well be the utter destruction of some.

Yet Pansy was perhaps the only exception. She was more elusive than them, always one step ahead of them. If Draco and Harry were to be kept a secret, then they would have to take the utmost care. Nothing would slip from her, the carefully woven mask that she was, but if the two of them started acting unusually, Vince and Greg would pick up the scent, and they would very likely discover the hidden fruit

After all, next to her, Vince and Greg knew Draco the best. They knew that he loved his mother, something that was a carefully concealed secret from the public, as the two couldn't afford to show emotions for each other. There was always Lucius to contend with, with his talks of apathy and indifference, of never letting feelings show.

But as skilled as the two hulks were, they didn't know about her. They didn't know about her and Draco's once-marriage contract. And perhaps, that was the only big secret that she had. Except for when she cried on Yule.

Pansy couldn't contain herself that day, what Draco had done for her. To know that he didn't consider her to be worthless trash, a used and broken toy. She had slipped, shown emotion, shown her weakness. Her one and only weakness, Draco.

And the brunette knew that Vince and Greg weren't asleep. They were perfect at faking deep slumber, yet she could see right through it. And she knew that they knew. The only thing that they could hold against her, yet the biggest thing that they held about her. Her weakness.

However, the two were useful allies to have, allies that would always hold cards against the opponents, allies that would always be of help, allies that would always have information. And if Draco couldn't see that and things became too rough, she would take action. Vince and Greg were too valuable to lose.

***

After Double Herbology on Wednesday, as Harry was about to make his way out of Greenhouse Eight, by far the most challenging of all the greenhouses, he was stopped in his tracks by a Slytherin stepping in front of him.

Ron stopped alongside Harry, Hermione also when she realized that the two weren't following her.

"What do you want, Parkinson? Malfoy not good enough for you anymore?" Ron sneered.

"Potter, a word."

"You're not good enough to talk to the Great Harry Potter."

"The Mudblood's waiting for her pet weasel, Weasel. So why don't you go back to your master?"

"Why don't you go back to yours, Parkinson?"

Pansy was murderous by this time, exchanging useless banter with a stupid redhead who couldn't even think of good comebacks. Not surprisingly, considering that the two adult Weasels' smarts had to be divided between seven children, none of which were particularly bright.

"Only after I acquire a red head that I'll be serving on a silver platter."

"Ron, let her say what she has to say. It wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"A private word, Potter."

"Harry, don't. She'll attack you as soon as you're alone. After all, she's with Malfoy, and you know how that git hates you."

Harry felt like laughing at this particular statement. _She's with Malfoy._ How about not? After all, he was the one who was receiving all the kisses.

"Ron, Hermione, I'll be fine. You two go, I'll catch up later."

"You sure, Harry?" Ron asked, concerned. Pansy rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently on the grass. Ron glared daggers at his Potions partner, which was returned tenfold.

"I'm sure, Ron. She can't do anything to me. You two walk back to the castle, and I'll follow soon. Don't worry about it, Ron. I can take care of myself."

"Of course the Weasel would want to worry about you, Potter. Can't afford to lose his partner, can he? After all, no one would come to him willingly, not without some kind of incentive, and he has no money to pay anyone. So what are you doing it for, Potter?"

Ron stepped forward, preparing to punch Pansy, even though guys were not supposed to hit girls. Harry hurriedly pushed Ron towards Hermione, in the direction of the castle, the two blushing when their bodies touched.

"I'll be fine, guys. Trust me. I've survived meeting Voldemort three times, Pansy Parkinson should be nothing compared to him. Go."

Ron and Hermione left reluctantly, deliberately not looking at each other, heads turning every so often and making sure that Harry was still safe and sound, no limbs detached, nothing growing out of him. Finally, they entered the castle, after one last worried look at them.

By this time, there was no one left outside, as all the other students were already inside, most in their common rooms, relaxing during the fifteen minute break. Draco was one of the first ones to enter the castle, Vince and Greg tagging behind him. Good. She wouldn't have to worry about those two.

"What do you want, Parkinson? I have classes to go to," Harry said impatiently.

"You're not the only pupil in this school, Potter."

"Well then, tell me what you have to say!" Harry exclaimed exasperatedly.

"I know, Potter."

"Know what?" Harry asked, confused.

"I know," Pansy repeated, mentally wishing that Potter wasn't such a stupid git. Pity that Draco had to choose him instead of someone smarter, like her. But now was not the time to debate over the wisdom of Draco Malfoy's decisions.

Understanding dawned on Harry, stunned and horrified understanding, understanding that threatened to break down everything that he had, and he backed away from her, surprise intermingled with shock and dismay etched on his face. It was impossible. This was a carefully hidden secret.

"How—what—when—" he stammered.

"Potter, talk like a normal human being, or don't talk at all."

Harry calmed down enough to speak coherently.

"How?" he uttered, aghast at having her know about something this confidential.

"That is not for you to know, Potter. You only need to know that I know. And if you hurt Draco Malfoy in anyway, whether unintentional or intentional, you will pay. No one messes with Draco Malfoy and gets away with it. He may not hurt you, you being who you are, but I will make sure that you pay dearly. Understand?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. You better take care of him, Potter, or there will be hell to pay." And with this, Pansy walked away swiftly and proudly, not glancing back once. Harry, meanwhile, stood rooted to the spot, mouth open in astonishment.

***

That night, Draco and Harry met in the dungeons, the cold air permeating the robes the two wore. The dungeons were colder than the rest of the school, chillier and more frightening, more disconcerting. Harry jumped every time he saw a shadow, afraid of bumping into a Slytherin, Filch, Mrs. Norris, or Sirius.

Thus, it was a relief to meet up with Draco, to see the Slytherin standing by a wall nonchalantly, waiting patiently for Harry to arrive, Invisibility Cloak on one arm just in case he needed to hide himself from intruders.

Harry pulled off his cloak and walked towards Draco as quietly as he could, trying to surprise the blonde. It didn't work. Before the Gryffindor reached the xanthochroid, the pale face turned towards Harry.

"Harry, you're here," Draco breathed, before Harry's mouth crushed upon his in a searing kiss. A kiss that told of want and need, of lust and passion, of how much the two forbidden lovers had missed each other, had missed kissing each other, holding each other, just being with each other. Of how much the two had looked forward to this night, of how much longing the two had held during the scant two days that they had not met and been with each other, not done what they had been wanting to do so desperately since that first true kiss.

Harry pulled away first, lungs aching from the deprivation of oxygen. He slumped against Draco, body pinning the smaller boy's frame against the cold stone walls. Draco's cheeks were a faint pink from the kiss, and though Harry radiated off warmness, Draco shivered against the damp cold that penetrated his thin robes, chilling him to the bone.

Harry's arms encircled the Slytherin's body and held him tightly against the Gryffindor's body, transferring much-needed heat to the slim blonde. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's neck, clinging to the other boy in a tender embrace, content to be leaning into Harry, leaning into his warmth and protective hold, absorbing the love radiating from the raven-haired young man.

Even though Harry didn't want to break this precious moment, this tender moment of love and contentment, he knew that he had to, had to tell Draco about Pansy. The Gryffindor softly whispered into the Slytherin's ear, breath tickling the blonde.

"Pansy knows."

Draco abruptly pulled away from Harry, and Harry found that he missed holding the smaller body against his. Malfoy Grey eyes searched Harry's face, hoping against hope that Harry was joking.

"How?" he whispered, resigning himself to the fact, the unfortunate fact.

"I don't know. She told me today after Herbology."

"So that's why she was late," Draco commented, more to himself than to Harry. "What did she say?"

"She said that if I hurt you in anyway, she'll come after me. Also if I don't take care of you."

Draco shook his head wryly.

"Don't give her any reason to suspect you, Harry. Pansy isn't really temperamental, but if you give her any reason to believe that you've done something wrong to me, she'll chase after you relentlessly until she believes that she has avenged me."

"Why is she okay with this? Aren't you two supposed to be married?"

"Once, we were. Not anymore. And she's accepted the fact that I don't love her, though she's madly in love with me." And then, Draco uncharacteristically asked, " Can we stop talking and just go back to what we were doing before this? I'll deal with Pansy later." He needed to feel Harry, needed to make sure that Harry was there, needed to make sure that everything was real.

Spurred on by Draco's prompt, Harry took Draco into his arms and held him tight, mouth against Draco's in an ardent kiss, tongues battling for dominance in each other's mouths. And as they playfully teased each other in a kiss that spoke of love and affection, of need for each other, of need to be with each other, of promises of undying love and forever devotion, all worries out of their minds. The two were finally content for once, content with everything, content with the world, content with everything that had happened, content with life, content with each other, content to be themselves.

***

The next week, Blaise Zabini was nowhere to be seen, and Draco wondered where the other Slytherin might be. After all, he wouldn't just disappear all of a sudden, without a single trace or clue of some sort.

Draco tried asking Pansy, who refused to tell him anything, giving off the implication that she was responsible somehow. Crabbe and Goyle, of course, would be of no use, too dumb to notice anything besides him, each other, and food. Maybe Pansy too, once in a while. Nott would be of no help at all, idiotic follower that he was, a cringing sniveling coward, which left him with his mother, who being a Malfoy and socially accepted in the highest circles of the Wizarding aristocracy, should know about everything that's going on. Even though she had once been a Moore, a disgraced Moore at that, she was now a Malfoy, a prominent member of the Wizarding community, perhaps even more so than she had been when she was a Moore. Of course, her past was one of those things that everyone knew but never talked about.

Thus, Draco wrote to his mother about the disappearance of Blaise Zabini. A day later, he received his answer, which was something that he did not want to hear.

_Pansy didn't tell you? She wrote to me about what happened at the beginning of this month. I was shocked at Zabini's behavior, needless to say. Thus, on behalf of both of our families, I sued the Zabinis in court, for almost violating the honor of a Parkinson, a prominent member of our community. They paid a hefty sum to both of our families, nearly bankrupting the family. About ten million galleons were paid to the Parkinsons and five million galleons to us, for daring to try to violate the honor of Pansy, who you are betrothed to. And because of this disgrace, Blaise Zabini has been withdrawn from Hogwarts. I believe he is now enrolled in Durmstrang. This whole thing has been hushed up, of course; after all, we can't allow such news to leak out to the press and the tabloids, can we?_

How dare Pansy go to his mother behind his back? He had promised himself that he would avenge Pansy one day. And then, she, not trusting him, the one she loved, goes tattling to his mother about this whole mess. And Narcissa, being who she was, of course, had to make sure that the Zabinis were taught a lesson. It was a very different kind of lesson than what Lucius would have done if he had found out, which thankfully he hadn't, because there would be hell to pay if that happened, someone daring to violate the fiancée of a Malfoy.

But this was too much for Draco to take. First, she went off behind his back and got Narcissa to take action against Blaise, then she somehow discovered about him and Harry and threatened Harry. They needed to talk.

Draco found Pansy chatting to Milicent in the common room. Milicent, seeing Draco approach, quickly excused herself and left, leaving the two alone to talk.

"We need to talk, Pansy, privately."

She looked at him with mild surprise before following him into his dorms. Not that she hadn't been in there before, once, a long time ago. And she had lain in that wonderful bed against a wonderfully warm and adequate and superb body and believed that this heaven would last forever, only to have her dreams shattered the next day. From then on, the dorms held bad memories for her, and she tried to avoid it as much as she could.

As soon as the door was shut, Draco launched into a cold and calm tirade, though nonetheless, a tirade.

"What did you think you were doing, Pansy? Going behind my back and owling my mother about what happened here? I would have taken care of it; she didn't have to know. And then, you threaten _my_ Harry. I don't know how you found out about us together, since the last time I checked, you only knew about my love for him, but nonetheless, you threaten Harry, someone you know who is dear to me. What's gotten into you, Pansy?"

"Draco, I know that you would have avenged me," Pansy began, in the same icy tone, "but that wasn't enough. I needed something done now. And Narcissa was the perfect person to owl. I couldn't have owled my own parents, they would probably beat me when I go home for the summer for being weak after everything that they had taught me. She had power; who better else to teach the Zabinis a lesson for messing with their superiors? And threaten _your_ Harry? I was only giving him some standards. He's not allowed to treat you anyway he wants. And take my word, Draco, if he ever wrongs you, I will stop at nothing to strike him down, even if you stand in my way."

Pansy then left the dorm in a huff. Really. Everything she did was for the good of him, couldn't he see that? She couldn't allow the antipathy between him and Zabini level up another notch, or otherwise, there would be no happily ever after, not that there ever was in the first place. If the blatant hatred increased between them, then, when the two became Death Eaters, they would spread discord among the ranks with their spite for each other, which would mean lots and lots of pain and torturing and suffering, as neither Lucius or You-Know-Who would go easy on them. And talking to Potter? She was just telling him that he couldn't mistreat Draco, use him and then throw him away. The same way she had been treated. She was a fool for love, oh yes, she was. But Pansy never could stop herself, not when Draco was concerned.

***

Draco stared after Pansy's retreating back. They hadn't had such a quarrel since...he couldn't even remember the last time they had a quarrel of such proportions. He didn't know how to respond. Pansy was a good friend, a trusted ally. If he lost her, then there would be no one to talk to in this school except for Harry, who knew almost nothing about him.

But yet, she was so infuriatingly frustrating sometimes. Like now. Pansy did things for what she believed was the best, but they weren't always so. Like owling Narcissa. This would only increase the vendetta Zabini had against him, make him a more dangerous foe on the battlefield.

And Draco knew that Harry would never mistreat him, not after what they had gone through for this. He meant too much to the Gryffindor. Even if she wanted to talk to Harry, Pansy shouldn't have threatened him, should have instead just talked to him rationally, like a regular person.

And that brought Draco back to the fact that he didn't know if he could betray Harry or not. After everything, he just couldn't. Yet he needed to win this contest. What was he to do?

***

On Monday, in Potions, they were told to make a potion that would give them photographic memory. Many students eagerly made the potion, knowing that this would make N.E.W.T.s easier to study for. Hermione had started studying everything that they had ever learned for the second time, and she could be found in the Library at any given moment when they were not in class. The brunette practically slept and ate there. Harry and Ron couldn't understand her, as she would undoubtedly receive all twenty N.E.W.T.s available.

As Harry thought about such things, he absentmindedly picked up three eagle feathers and dropped them into the bubbling cauldron, oblivious to Draco's shouts of consternation and horror. By the time the Gryffindor realized this, the potion had turned from green to purple in a matter of seconds and was fizzing horribly.

The next thing Harry knew, a dementor was standing in front of Draco, who had been standing nearer to the cauldron. The class collectively gasped and ran as far way from the dementor as they could, all squishing into a corner of the classroom, Pansy, Ron, Hermione, Crabbe, and Goyle included.

Draco raised his wand and started to cast the Patronus Charm.

"_Expecto—expecto—"_

And then his knees hit the hard stone floor with a _thump_, hands clasped over his ears, trying to block out whatever it was that he was hearing. The blonde was shaking from side to side, mumbling under his breath, and squinching his eyes shut tightly, trying to eradicate the voices from his mind.

The dementor raised its hands and prepared to lower its hood. Harry knew that he couldn't allow that to happen. The Gryffindor still remembered the events in Third Year, how he almost didn't escape from the Dementor's Kiss.

Harry searched in his mind for a very happy memory, then decided on the first kiss he shared with Draco. The Gryffindor concentrated on the kiss, everything that encompassed it, the moonlit atmosphere, the softness of Draco's lips, the intensity of the kiss, letting everything about the kiss wash over him, then raised his wand just as the dementor lowered its hood.

"_Expecto patronum!"_

A dazzling silver shape burst out of Harry's wand and ran towards Draco, standing in between the blonde and the dementor, protecting the Slytherin. It was Prongs, and what a majestic and handsome stag he was. The dementor glided backwards, away from the Patronus, and bumped into the cauldron. The cauldron toppled, and the fizzing purple potion flowed down the stones, seeping into the cracks of old age.

As the liquid touched the dementor, a ring of white light surrounded the dementor, and though the dementor made no movement, everyone could tell that it was in pain, gruesome pain. Its cloak drooped slowly downwards until finally, there was nothing left except the black cloak, lying flat on the ground.

Kyon spoke in a shaky voice.  


"Mr. Potter, please escort Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing."

Harry nodded, then knelt down beside Draco and put an arm around the blonde's waist, making sure to stay as far away as possible from the Slytherin so as not to arouse any suspicion. The Gryffindor then pulled one of Draco's arms onto his shoulder, and he rose from the ground, supporting the smaller boy. The two walked awkwardly out of the classroom.

When they were outside in the hallway, the classroom door safely shut behind them, Harry turned to Draco.

"What did you see?" he asked, concerned.

Draco answered in a distant voice, "This summer...my father...the pain...the torturing...the killings...the dungeons..." The Slytherin then focused himself and turned to face Harry.

"Why did you save me?"

"You needed help, Draco. You didn't just expect me to stand there and watch you lose your soul, did you?" Harry asked angrily.

"You shouldn't have. But thank you."

And as they walked to the Hospital Wing, Draco leaning against Harry and reveling in his warmth and love, the two both came to a conclusion. Neither could betray the other in the third contest, even if it mean that he lost. Each was too dear to the other.

***

Victoria frowned at Harry's carelessness. Really, to have the First prophesize about him too. Wasn't it enough that he was famous? But no, he had to be in the greatest prophesy of all time, too. But the boy brewed a Chaos Magic potion, and that was completely out of the standards.

The first dementors were made from the exact same potion that had been brewed in Hogwarts. And though it created dementors, it also destroyed them. Which meant that they were lucky, especially since the potion was the only way to create or destroy a dementor.

But she was glad that it helped them realize what they had to do. Maybe their Tests won't be so hard after all.

___________________________________

Thanks to:

Colibi - Yes, it was!!! And I'm on your fav stories list!!! ~cries~ I'm loved!!!

IcyEyes202 - Genius?? Nah! Yeah, poor Pansy, but she'll find someone else. I'm wonderful?? Thankys!!! Dedication, you deserved it, for helping me fix a major plothole that could have screwed this whole thing up!

And all readers!!!

Apologies for all that this is late!!! My beta had some trouble with sending this...Another chap will be up soon, and I still owe all of you one chap!!!


	21. Chapter 20: Starting Anew

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 20

Starting Anew

When the two arrived in the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey quickly bustled over to the two young men.

"Did the two of you get in another fight?" she asked, as the two had been in the Hospital Wing together quite often during Fifth and Sixth Years.

"No, we haven't, Madame Pomfrey," Harry answered. "I was sent to escort Malfoy, who's here for some chocolate." And to add emphasis on his boredom and Draco's patheticness, the Gryffindor rolled his eyes.

"Chocolate? Did you accidentally brew a Tendon Twisting Potion?"

Harry quickly nodded.

"Can you believe he did that? I told him not to stir counterclockwise, but he just wouldn't listen."

"Hold on, dear. I just hope your tendons aren't twisted too badly, otherwise you won't be able to walk for weeks." Madame Pomfrey quickly bustled away to retrieve a large chunk of chocolate.

Draco put a very good imitation of shock on his face as the Medi-witch walked back towards him, holding a huge chunk of chocolate in her hand.

"For weeks? How am I going to attend classes then?" Draco moaned.

"Don't worry, if you were able to even get here without screaming in pain, you'll be fine. Now here, have some chocolate."

"You want me to eat all of that?" Draco asked, the dismay on his face real this time.

"Of course. We don't know how badly your tendons are twisted, and you may need to eat all of this to untwist them. Of course, the more twisted they are, the harder it'll be for you to walk afterwards, as the tendons will be terribly sore. Now, eat. Mr. Potter, make sure he swallows every last crumb."

Madame Pomfrey handed the chocolate to Draco, who received it apprehensively. Harry nodded as she swept away, helping a student who just entered the Hospital Wing, eyes growing everywhere on his skin, blinking rapidly and taking everything in.

"Wonder what happened to him," Harry muttered. Draco didn't respond, which caused Harry to look at his lover. The Slytherin was staring at his chocolate.

"Come on, Draco, you have to eat it. You know that. You just faced a dementor, love," Harry whispered softly so that only the two of them could hear, not that it would have mattered, as now, the other student was screaming in pain, the sound reverberating around the Hospital Wing. Harry pitied the poor lad, who had probably had the eyes painfully removed. No doubt he would be staying overnight in the Hospital Wing, what with all the pain he had just undergone.

Draco sighed and started eating his chocolate, very slowly, taking bites approximately once a minute. Harry shook his head and took the chocolate out of Draco's hand.

"I'll feed you. It's not that bad, Draco."

Thus, Harry hand-fed Draco chocolate, which sped up the process. The screaming was obscenely loud now, and Harry wished that they could open the door of the Hospital Wing, but then, they didn't want to attract any unwanted attention towards themselves.

Finally, Draco was done, pink tongue licking the remnants of chocolate off his lips. His eyes fell on Harry's chocolate stained hand, then his hand took hold of Harry's and brought it to his lips.

Harry was on cloud nine when that wonderful tongue touched his palm, tickling the sensitive tissue. Draco was slowly licking the chocolate off his palm, painfully slow, his eyes trained on Harry's face, which was twisted in pleasure. The tongue then moved to the fingers after cleaning the pad of flesh, licking its way up each digit, nearly killing Harry with the slowness and the pleasure it elicited. Finally, Harry's hand was clean, though wet with Draco's saliva, not that the Gryffindor cared.

Right then, Madame Pomfrey hurried over to them, interrupting the private moment.

"Mr. Malfoy, how do you feel?"

Draco gingerly stretched, pretending to see if they worked without horrible pain overcoming him.

"I think I can walk back, with Potter's help."

"Good. You be careful now, Mr. Malfoy, we don't want you back so soon. After all, you were just in here last month."

Draco nodded, then carefully stood up. Harry, since Madame Pomfrey was watching them, rolled his eyes and walked over to Draco. He wrapped an arm around Draco's waist, making little contact as possible while Draco landed an elbow on his shoulder, then they made their way slowly out of the Hospital Wing.

Once out of Madame Pomfrey's line of vision, the two boys breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"Whew, that was close," Harry said.

Draco assented.

"Are we meeting tonight?"

"Regular spot."

And with this exchange of words, the two young men made their way back to the dungeons, making sure to fix a disdainful expression on each of their faces.

***

The regular place was a room that Draco had found, a room that was not even on the Marauder's Map. It was beautiful, decked out in green and silver, the Slytherin colors complimenting each other perfectly.

A large bed, approximately queen-sized, stood at the opposite corner from the opening. It was covered with jade green covers and pillows, the same tone as Harry's eyes. Velvet curtains hung over the sides from the canopy above the bed, not silver but gray, Malfoy Grey.

All the furniture was made from mahogany, rich wood gleaming invitingly. A magnificent chandelier hung from the ceiling, silver candles waiting in the holders, giving a warm and loving atmosphere to the room when lit.

The walls weren't stone, except for the entrance. The rest was draped in silver silk, soft and smooth, cool to the touch. A large stone fireplace was embedded into one of the walls, snakes intertwining up the sides of the grate. Neither knew where the chimney was nor started a fire, for fear of being caught.

Harry and Draco lay on the bed, next to each other. The Gryffindor turned his head and studied his lover. Shining soft hair of pale gold, the strands framing his face perfectly. Beautiful eyes of gray, so intense yet so unemotional, so cold, so apathetic. Soft marble skin covered every inch of his body, so wonderfully smooth. The chin was slightly pointed, a few short, sparse hairs scattered here and there, so pale that it was only visible when brought into the light or seen up close.

Draco had an effeminate beauty, the femininity making him the beauty that he was. Yet, he wasn't just graced with effeminate beauty and grace. Such beauty could only belong to a god, an angel, an ethereal being, one that slept on clouds, drank ambrosia, and fluttered with white, beautiful, shining wings, spreading light wherever he touched. Draco was the embodiment of such ethereal beauty, of aether, the substance that composed the heavens. He was nothing short of pulchritude; he was perfection in itself, at least in physical beauty.

The beautiful yet fragile—in Harry's point of view—head turned, and gray eyes met emerald orbs, gazing intently into them. The eyes, they were such a unique shade of gray, so wonderfully intense, so wonderfully loving.

Harry chose that moment to voice the question that he had been pondering ever since whatever this was had started, before Draco could reach over and press those wonderfully soft and smooth lips against his and silence him, which happened every time that Harry started talking about them.

"Draco, what are we?"

"What do you mean?"

"Draco, you know what I mean. Every time I try to talk, you change the subject by snogging me."

"I do not."

"Draco, please. What are we?"

Draco gestured to the room and everything that encompassed it.

"This is us."

"But what do we have between us?"

"Do you truly need me to say the words, to assure you that this is real and not a dream?"

Harry nodded.

"We're lovers, Harry."

"Is that all that we are, Draco? Is this just because of want, of need? Is there no love involved in all of this?"

"You know that's not true, Harry. We aren't really boyfriends because we're much more complicated than such a simple word. Even "lovers" is too simple a word to describe us. We are just us, simply us."

"You don't trust me, Draco," Harry whispered softly as his hand cupped Draco's cheek.

"You know that's not true, Harry." Malfoy Grey eyes gazed steadily at verdant irises. "I trust you with my life."

"But not with the truth. You don't trust me with everything that you've gone through. Relationships are supposed to be based on trust, too, not just love alone."

Draco looked away.

"I don't trust anyone completely," he said quietly, more to himself than to Harry. "I trust Pansy to a certain extent. I trust Mother to a certain extent. But I can't trust anyone completely. I can't afford to."

"Draco, if this is to work, you have to trust me. I won't betray you. I promise."

Draco turned his head and looked at Harry, an unidentifiable emotion glittering in his eyes. He finally nodded.

"I'll try. But I'm not saying that it'll work."

"Trying is good enough for me, love."

***

Young star-crossed lovers. What foolishness. There was nothing as _true_ happily ever after. There was always something in the way, something that prevented happiness and love. It had always been like this. Always.

Victoria remembered that wonderful room from her days at Hogwarts. Britain was such a cold country all year long. Unlike China, her native land. Her mind drifted back to warm summers and not quite as cold winters.

She had been born in the midst of a war. And even though she had been born during a time of chaos and anarchy, it had been wonderful living there, living on their estate. Servants were no more, of course, not after the fall of the Qing Dynasty. But it was still wonderful, living a life of relative luxury.

Until it happened. Assassins were everywhere, and even though they had been well hidden, she had come home to find her whole life shattered. Victoria had already known what she needed to take, what she needed to do.

And so, she took everything that mattered and left that wonderful palace, built in the Manchurian style, many separate buildings with thatched roofs making up one big residence. Somehow, she ended up in England, where she had been forced to learn a whole new language and a whole new way of living.

Dragon Star was no more. Victoria took her place. Her parents had known about the Prophecy, had named her accordingly. And then, at Hogwarts, she met Tom.

Tom, who became her world and her very essence of life; Tom, whom she left because of circumstances, circumstances that she could not have changed and would not change. It had been a wonderful two years.

Victoria had lain against that wonderfully warm body on that wonderful bed. She was cold, always cold. Her hands were colder than ice in winter, a mirror of her ice-cold heart. But he had been warm, always warm, and she clung to his warmth, clung to him. They didn't have sex, not at that young age, but they sometimes fell asleep together, his arms wrapped around her body, radiating off heat and closeness and love.

And Victoria had to admit she missed that. Back then, theirs was an innocent love. And she envied their past selves for their innocence, their naivete. It had been no more afterwards. The love was no longer innocent, though it had been just as strong, just as passionate.

Dragon Star was only a pawn in this game. So was Dragon Goddess. And so was Dragon Soul. They were all pawns, though they were three very important key players in this game, the ones who decided if they won or lost. Their destinies had been mapped out before they had even been born, but they didn't know how many times they had to lose before they could win. Many would consider it an honor to be prophesized about by the First, but this had been pure anguish.

Things had been moving so smoothly along until that wretched Black ruined everything, him and his oh-so-smart ways. What an idiot. He always did the wrong things at the wrong time. Everyone called him smart, but he wasn't, not when it came to the world and life.

And even though later, he had been saved, it wasn't by his hand. What was meant to be did not take place. Or maybe she had interpreted it all wrong. Maybe they had interpreted it all wrong.

_Don't lose hope, Dragon Star. I haven't._

Easy for her to say. She was patient. Dragon Star was not. All this waiting had bored her completely. She had already mastered Dragon Magic so completely that it wasn't even funny. In fact, she could probably blow a hole in the Riddle Mansion right now, where they were.

Not that Dragon Star was going to. It would only cause them to flee, and she could not afford to lose track of them right now. The moment that they had been waiting was drawing closer, whether he sensed it or not. And maybe finally, she could rescue him while she saved him. And finally go on to her peace.

Dragon Star could feel her chuckle. She was always the more even-tempered one, the more amiable one. How she did it, Dragon Star didn't know. After all, she was the granddaughter and the second Elemental Dragon. She had been here forever, forever waiting. And yet she was still quite nonchalant about all this. This one thing that twisted all their fates together and determined their ends.

_What's a few years to me, Dragon Star? I've been here for longer than I should be._

Easy for you to say, someone who's lived as long as you.

Do not worry, dear. The First has never prophesized wrongly.

And that's a good thing?

You do want to see your Tom one last time before you change, do you not? For I, it matters not. I shall have all of the rest of eternity to see my brother. You are separated from him while I am not.

I hate the unfairness of it, big sister.

We have no say in this. The paths have been set down before we even started treading on them. We must follow them as best as we can.

My poor son. He knows not of his destiny. But I couldn't do anything. I would have jeopardized everything.

You did the right thing, little sister. Everything will fall in place, you will see.

Even if they don't align perfectly?

They will meld together, Dragon Star. Rest your mind. Don't worry about it. None of this is in our hands. You must let Fate run her course.

***

Hermione felt something out of place. She had talked to Ron about it, and he agreed with her.

Something was up with Harry. He had just been so out of it lately. In fact, neither of them saw their friend except during classes. He was never in the common room with them, and Ron never saw him in the dorms, either.

Hermione could understand if it was because Harry was stressed. But he didn't act like it. The last time she had asked him about the third contest, he had assured her that he already knew what to do. That had been two weeks ago, and the brunette didn't know if Harry was fooling her again, the same way he did with the Triwizard Tournament.

There was something in the enmity between him and Malfoy, also. She felt, somehow, that their jeers and jibes wasn't completely heartfelt, didn't contain as much hatred and resentment as it used to. And it worried her. Malfoy and Harry's rivalry had been the one stable thing during their seven years at Hogwarts, and even that was changing.

Something definitely wasn't right with what happened on Monday, in Potions. Hermione could understand why Harry would defend Malfoy. Even though Harry disliked the blonde Slytherin intensely, why, they all did, he wouldn't have let the Slytherin just die. But there was something different about it. Maybe it was the way he spoke _Expecto Patronum_, or maybe it was the way he helped Malfoy to the Hospital Wing.

Hermione thought that she had seen a glimpse of something in those eyes, a glimpse of something pure and raw. And she was scared of what she saw. She was scared of what it meant. Somehow, Hermione hadn't felt any enmity or hatred radiating from the two archrivals as the two had walked out of the door.

It was as if everything was changing, unbeknownst to any of them. It was as if the puzzle pieces of the big picture had, all of a sudden, realigned themselves. The tide was turning, and Hermione and Ron had promised to worm it out of Harry. Hopefully, he made it easy on himself. Because it hurt that he was keeping a secret from his two best friends, the two people who would always be here for him, and she and Ron had vowed to find it, no matter what, as long as it didn't result in injuries and death.

***

"Tell me, tell me what you heard when the Dementor stood in front of you. Tell me what it happened."

Draco looked at him, then looked down.

"I don't know if I can. I wasn't taught to trust, Harry. I wasn't taught to pour my heart out to anyone."

"Could you, for me?"

Draco looked back up at him, a wary look in his eyes.

"I don't know, I truly don't know. This is too fast, Harry. I'm not ready. I can't go this fast. I can't just turn from suspicious to trusting in one day."

"How about this? You tell me about something, and I'll tell you something. Let's start with something easy, like your family."

A dark look came over Draco.

"My family? What's there to talk about? My family is too complicated to explain, Harry. Do you want me to give you the detailed version, or a brief summary?"

"Why don't you just describe your parents and the relationships within your family. It can't be that twisted, can it?"

"You be the judge, Harry."

And Draco told Harry about his family. About Lucius, his ambition and his darkness, his cruel treatment of Draco, what he did to unsuspecting Muggles. Narcissa, pretty and sweet, yet disgraced. How it was ironic that they loved each other, especially since they were so very different.

Opposites didn't attract, unlike the common saying. Sure, they felt a rush of exhilaration when they were with each other, but when all the layers were peeled back, and the truth was exposed, all there was was two lonely souls, two souls that could never bond, no matter how much they tried.

Lucius and Narcissa were the embodiment of exact opposites. Lucius, who ruled with an iron fist. He was cruel, and he had no mercy. He was cold stone. In fact, Draco wouldn't even have thought him humane was it not for his love for Narcissa. Narcissa, who was gentle and loving. She was compassionate, and she felt.

They were like night and day, yin and yang. Narcissa was everything good, everything right, while Lucius was everything dark, everything immoral and wrong. Yet they could exist with each other, love each other, truly love each other.

Many of his pupils thought that Draco had been trained at a young age for his initiation into the Death Eaters. They were wrong. His childhood had revolved around Narcissa, Narcissa with her smiles and laughs, Narcissa, who shone like the sun.

Only after she had convinced him to attend Hogwarts had Lucius started instilling into him the Malfoy Upbringing. By the time he boarded the Hogwarts Express, he had completely changed, changed from the warm, loving boy into a cold cruel pre-teen, one who delighted in tormenting and taunting others.

Maybe it was because Lucius never paid him much attention when he was small. Maybe that was why he had idolized Lucius. Lucius, who had acknowledged his existence but not him. Until that summer.

He could easily have overpowered Narcissa, forced her to stop lavishing her attention onto Draco. Yet he didn't. Was it because he wanted Draco to have a happy childhood, or was it because he loved Narcissa, loved her so much that he couldn't bear to interfere?

***

Harry had heard of the tales about Draco's parents. How they ruled with an iron fist. How they never allowed Draco any freedom. It seemed that the tales about Lucius were right, a cold, cruel, ambitious father who cared only about the honor of the family.

But Narcissa, she was different. Somehow, Harry had thought of her as the vain mother who only cared about herself and nothing else. However, from Draco's descriptions of her, he felt that he was wrong. She sounded like a wonderful mother, like the kind of mother whom his Mum no doubt had been.

And their love for each other. That was what surprised Harry the most. He had thought Malfoys incapable of emotion, Lucius so composed and cold, and Draco a mirror image of his father. But maybe he had been wrong. If Draco was capable of love, then surely Lucius would also be able to. Not that he was anything but a slimy git in Harry's eyes, especially after he heard about the older man's treatment of Draco over the summer, and what he did to the Muggles whom he kidnapped for Draco's training sessions.

Harry knew that this hadn't been easy for Draco, to tell someone about something this private. He didn't even know if Pansy Parkinson knew about this. And the Gryffindor knew that he owed it to Draco to tell him about something important.

Trust had to work both ways in a relationship. If the two people didn't completely trust each other, then the relationship was nothing. Love wasn't enough to sustain the bond between two people. It never was. Love had to be combined with trust, because only with trust can a true connection be formed.

"I guess I should tell you about my family in return."

"Like you have any family to talk about, Harry, besides those idiotic Muggles you live with," Draco drawled.

"And my Godfather."

"So you've kept in contact with him? My, I didn't know that you broke the rules, Harry."

"He's innocent, all right, Draco? You don't need to report this to anyone. But this must remain an absolute secret."

"The same way that what I tell you must remain. But I already knew about Black. After all, I've seen Wormtail a few times at the Death Eater parties that Father held. Sniveling, cringing, little coward," Draco added distastefully.

"So I guess it's not anything big to you."

"You trusted me enough to tell me about him, didn't you?"

And then, Draco ended the conversation by leaning forward and capturing Harry's mouth with his own. The Gryffindor gave in without a fuss, and thus, another wonderful snogging session was started.

***

Saturday found Pansy wandering down the halls of Hogwarts. Her mind was in a jumbled disarray. There was just so much to think about. N.E.W.T.s, the impending Death Eater initiation in the summer, which will no doubt include her dear Draco, their fake marriage if the Dark Lord wasn't defeated soon, and of course, what was usually on her preoccupied mind—Draco and Potter.

Their relationship wasn't going to be an easy one; that was for sure. Were they destined to be together? She didn't know. But considering their circumstances—Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World, Heir of Gryffindor, and Draco, scion to the Malfoy and DeVrai legacy, son of the Dark Lord's second-hand man, and no doubt, soon, a Death Eater, part of the Inner Circle—it seemed that their paths in life were meant to collide headlong, with only one continuing, no doubt Potter's.

Yet, somehow, they had turned it all around. They had managed to make their paths parallel and reach out to each other, ensnare each other. Draco would surely change sides, especially since he had the added reason of Lucius. The brunette would, of course, support him whichever side he was on. Draco was her life.

And as she was pondering all this and turning it over in her mind, two figures stepped out from the shadows and blocked her way. Pansy was a bit surprised, as this was a huge risk for the both of them, revealing their true selves, though her face was emotionless. Her parents had trained her well, her mask almost as foolproof as Draco's, perhaps even more in some ways. All of this hiding, it had become second nature to the both of them.

They had both been taught to observe, to decipher others, to calculate and unmask their opponents' and their allies' carefully hidden strengths and weaknesses. Some were blatantly obvious, like Potter, while others took a bit more time, though they always slipped in the end.

But Vince and Greg, they were different. Their masks were almost impenetrable. Even their own parents couldn't break through, even their own parents didn't know them truly. And they, unlike most, had never slipped, never revealed a moment of weakness.

And they, they were perhaps even better at observing than she and Draco. Even she had been able to slip in front of them. If they hadn't discovered Draco and Potter yet, then they would have, at least, started to suspect something by now. Nothing stayed unnoticed to them for long.

Hogwarts was a school filled with sheep, some destined to stay vulnerable, woolly, taken-advantage-of sheep. Others would become fierce, loyal rams. Yet, not everyone in the school was truly sheep.

Potter, he was a tiger in sheep's clothing. A tiger that held power over everyone else, not because of who he was, but because of his fame. Like a tiger, famous for his the shows he put on. Granger, meanwhile, was a vixen, a vixen in sheepskin. A sly and clever vixen, smart enough to wiggle her way out of trips, yet not smart enough to see everything in its entirety. Weasel, the ever loyal and faithful bull, hidden in a docile disguise. Known for his fierce temper and for his undying devotion.

Draco was a lion, hidden away among the sheep. More powerful than even Potter, not that anyone could tell. He was the king of all beasts, the one that held power over them all, especially her. Her, the panther, cloaked under layers and layers of wool. Graceful, elegant, and sly. Vince and Greg, though, they were wolves in sheep's clothing, the disguise molding onto their bodies like a second skin. They played their parts well, pretending to be blind followers of the lion while absorbing everything. After all, only one can win—the tiger that lead all of the sheep, pretending to be one of them, or the lion that wouldn't die, the lion that ruled already over a small percent of the population.

Pansy looked calmly at Vince and Greg, who stared back at her, taking everything in. Then, Vince spoke.

"We need to talk, Pansy."

Pansy nodded, and she followed them until they reached a stretch of blank, stone wall. She heard Greg whisper something, though unable to make out any words.

The wall slid open to reveal a room. A wooden table stood in the middle, test tubes littered over the scarred surface. A set of couches, along with a coffee table, rested at the opposite end.

"Don't look at us, Pansy. This used to be the Weasley twins' lab."

Pansy arched an eyebrow. So that is where they invented the Canary Cream.

Greg and Vince walked inside, Pansy following after them. When the three Slytherins had entered, the stone wall slid shut. The two burly young men walked to the couch and sat down one of them, leaning against each other.

Pansy frowned. The two wouldn't be this open, unless...The brunette took a seat opposite them, noticing their intertwined hands, which caused her to think of Draco and Potter. A pang of jealousy coursed through her.

"First things first," Vince began. "We know you know."

No wonder they were being so open. No need to hide anything if she already knew.

"How?"

Greg responded.

"No need for you to know, Pansy. We are even. We have information about you, you have information about us."

That was true. Though Vince and Greg's relationship was known widespread, it was just a show. In fact, that show they had put on at breakfast on the day of Gryffindor's Quest, it was just a show. Their relationship was of love, true and pure love, love that stemmed from the many similarities the two shared. Their love was definite, something that the two of them could feel. They could feel each other connected. All that shagging, it was an act. Their relationship was business and personal, intimate and distant at the same time.

"And we respect you for not revealing us while we would have revealed your secrets if we ever had need to. In fact, one could go so far as to say that we admire you," Vince continued. "We know that you wrote to Lady Malfoy about Zabini's near-rape of you, and we know that you had a fight with Draco because of that, perhaps the only one ever. And we are sure that that's not all."

"And we know that Draco has been sneaking out at night. He is smart, very smart. But the smartest sometimes have trouble with seeing what's right under their nose. He's seeing someone, isn't he?" Greg added. They were so intimate, so attuned with each other, that they could continue each other's sentences. Even she and Draco didn't know each other that well.

"One question. Who? If you don't tell us, well find out eventually."

Pansy weighed everything in her mind. If she didn't tell, Vince and Greg would find out anyway, and who knew what circumstances would be surrounding all of them at that point in time? If she did tell, though, she might very well be able to sway the two onto her side, which was much needed.

The brunette leaned forward and said one word quietly.

"Potter."

Greg and Vince exchanged looks, looks that Pansy couldn't quite comprehend.

"Potter," Greg repeated flatly.

"Yes," Pansy assented.

"Then everything is more complicated than we had previously thought. The stakes have been upped, Pansy. The game is more dangerous than ever. Be glad to know that you have gained two allies." With that, the two Slytherins left.

Pansy understood what it meant. The whole scheme of things had been rearranged. Draco and Potter had joined forces, not to mention bodies. No, she wasn't going to think about such horrible mood ruiners. Meanwhile, the Dark Lord was stating to take over again, gaining more followers along the way. Or should she say, slaves. Everything was more perilous than ever, now. Alliances were now of the essence; the wrong ones could be the destruction of some. Nothing could be exposed in the open; anything revealed, accidentally or not, could come back to haunt them, to annihilate them. And if Draco refused to come out of the safe little world where Potter had been this whole time, where Potter was now holding him, sheltering him, and blinding him, then she would have to take action. She would make the alliances, she would make the decisions. No matter what, as long as it kept them alive, her and Draco. And Potter, unfortunately.

***

Harry was cornered by Hermione in the common room on Sunday.

"Harry, Ron and I know that you have been keeping something from us. Do you not trust us?" Hermione looked hurt.

Harry sighed. He hadn't expected a confrontation this soon. Hermione was smart, but he didn't expect her to figure it out already. Was he that bad of an actor? Had he let something slip?

Harry knew that he had no choice but to tell Hermione. It was too hard, keeping this a secret from his two best friends when he yearned to tell them everything. The Gryffindor could only hope that Draco would forgive him.

"Hermione, I'm sorry about keeping this from you and Ron, but this is really, really important."

"You can trust Ron and me, Harry. We've always been here for you, haven't we?"

"I...Hermione, promise that you won't make a scene, and you will keep this a secret."

Hermione nodded.

"I will, Harry."

"I'm...I'm in a relationship with someone."

"That's great!" she squealed. Thankfully, there was no one in the common room except for the two of them, as everyone else was already at breakfast. "Who is it?"

Harry looked away for a second before looking back into the brunette's earnest hazel eyes.

"It's...Draco Malfoy."

Hermione backed away from him, horror on her face.

"Hermione, no, I promise, he's not the way you think he is!"

These words seemed to snap Hermione out of her shock. She looked at Harry steadily.

"I trust you, Harry. If you say that he's not a slimy git, then I believe you. I support you in this, Harry. Just as long as he doesn't mistreat you, of course."

"Thank you," Harry whispered.

The portrait door slammed shut at this, and Harry turned around too late to catch the person who had listened in on their conversation. Hermione, however, put a hand up to her mouth.

"Herm, who was it?"

Hermione looked at him, then looked away.

"Ron."

Harry groaned. This was bad. The hatred between the Malfoy and Weasley family had been going for generations, and he knew that Ron was in one of his famous Weasley tempers right now. And who knew if the redhead would forgive him even after he calmed down?

"I'll go talk to him, Harry."

With that, Hermione ran out the portrait hole, also, leaving Harry to contemplate and digest what had just transpired.

***

Hermione ran down halls, hoping that she could find Ron. The brunette passed a hall, then quickly doubled back, sure that she had seen a flash of red hair. She had. Ron was at the end of the corridor, back towards her. Hermione cautiously made her way towards the redhead.

Hermione could hear Ron muttering to himself as she neared him. He was angry, that was for sure. She gently put a hand on his shoulder.

Ron spun around, fists ready to punch whomever it was that was intruding. They fell, though, when he recognized Hermione.

"'Mione?"

"Ron, listen—"

"How could he do this—"

"Ron, please—"

"I'd rather have him go out with you, the one I love, than—"

An awkward silence ensued, and Ron looked away, horrified at revealing his feelings for Hermione. Hermione, meanwhile, was shocked.

"What did you say, Ron?" she whispered softly.

Ron sighed, defeated. He looked back at Hermione.

"I said, 'I'd rather have him go out with you, the one I love.'"

The redhead pushed past Hermione and walked away. No doubt Hermione would never want to see him again. However, a hand grabbing his arm stopped him. Ron turned around, blue eyes flashing in surprise.

"Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that, Ron Weasley?" Hermione asked softly.

Ron looked at her for a second before pulling her towards him and wrapping his arms around her. Their lips met in a chaste first kiss.

_____________________________________

"Qing" is pronounced _ching_, except without the _h_ sound.

Thanks to:

Colibi - I love the fav stories list too! Very useful!!! Thankies!!!

All readers!


	22. Interlude: Same Day, Different Lives

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Interlude

Same Day, Different Lives

A rooster crowed in the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. The sun had just risen, showering Britain with its rays. However, even with the warmth from the sun, the air was still chilly, which was customary for winter.

Molly Weasley stirred and woke, the rooster's crow penetrating her sleep until her eyes opened. She snuggled closer to her husband. It was the only time that she could enjoy her time with him.

However, she knew that it was time to rise from bed and start the day. Molly carefully wriggled out of Arthur's grasp and gently slid out of the covers.

"Molly, come back to bed," Arthur mumbled.

Molly leaned down and placed a kiss on Arthur's cheek.

"I have to get everything ready, Arthur," she whispered. By this time, Arthur had already fallen back to sleep, exhaustion overcoming him.

Molly sighed as she browsed in her wardrobe for something to wear. Poor Arthur. He was so overworked these days. Her husband left an hour after dawn, and he didn't return until about midnight. This happened even on the weekend, when he should have been free, free to spend time with her, free to relax and not worry about work.

Molly put on black robes, then laid a pair of fresh black robes by the bed for Arthur. He would soon be getting up. Molly walked to the bathroom.

They were running out of Magic-White Toothpaste, she found, as she brushed her teeth. It didn't just keep their teeth white, it also kept them clean and healthy, free from plaque and all sorts of other nasty germs. Not to mention fresh breath, though it didn't truly matter to Molly. Arthur was the one who needed to look and smell good.

After quickly preparing herself for the day, Molly walked downstairs. Those twins of hers had came to see her yesterday. She had asked them to de-gnome the garden for her, and they had done a wonderful job, though they had complained about it the whole time. Fred and George were still Fred and George.

Molly hadn't had a problem with the gnomes for weeks, but they always came back when they caught Arthur going somewhere. She had only been able to chase the gnomes out because Arthur was never home. He was such a softie, but that was one of the things that she loved about him.

Molly remembered her old life. She had been the older of two, from a quite well-known family. The Curtis's. She had met Arthur at Hogwarts and had fallen in love with him, despite how poor he was, being the youngest of five children.

Molly had brought her family fortune with her, but it had not been enough. What with all the bills and the debts that the Weasleys had to pay, the money had been quickly depleted. Fred and George had come and told her that they had stored half of their profit at the family vault.

Even though those two were so mischievous, Molly loved them. They had cheered her up a bit. The house was so dismal, what with Arthur always at work and Ron and Ginny at Hogwarts. Bill and Charlie had long ago moved out, and Percy had also moved out during the summer so he could live closer to the Ministry.

Molly made pancakes and toast in the kitchen. When they were done, the clock hand had just moved to _Time for Arthur to eat breakfast_. A moment later, Arthur Weasley appeared in the kitchen.

"Good morning, hon," he said as he gave her a peck. "You are the best cook I know, Molly."

Molly smiled. They still acted like young love-sick teenagers when their children weren't around. Arthur was so sweet, always complimenting her. Times were hard, but he hadn't been hardened by it.

Breakfast was finished in five minutes, and Arthur gave her a goodbye peck before he apparated to the Ministry. Molly sometimes wished that Arthur didn't work at the Ministry, but it did come in handy sometimes. He did favors for some officials, and they returned them. It had been nice for the kids to go to the Quidditch Cup three years ago.

After finishing the small amount of leftovers, Molly apparated to Diagon Alley. The place was always bustling, no matter what time of the year it was. Witches and Wizards were scattered about, gossiping about recent events and complaining about the prices.

The prices had gone up, what with the current Voldemort War. The inflation was horrible, as she barely had enough money to buy much in the first place. Even well-to-do Witches and Wizards complained, as the prices hadn't risen this high during the last Voldemort War.

Molly walked down Diagon Alley, past the main shops that held supplies for Hogwarts. She entered at a shop called Glamour. Glamour sold personal hygiene products along with cosmetics. It had the best designer brands along with regular brands. Molly just couldn't believe that some people would spend more than a galleon for toothpaste. Magic-White Toothpaste, though, had remained a constant five Sickles.

However, when she reached the shelf where Magic-White Toothpaste usually was kept, she nearly fainted. The price had been raised to fifteen Sickles. This was outrageous. Ten sickles more for common toothpaste! She would have to talk to Arthur about this.

When she reached the counter, she found herself behind a tall woman with blonde hair. The woman set her purchases down, the bottles littering the whole desktop. Molly waited for at least fifteen minutes before the woman was done paying, the clerk adding up the prices of everything that she had bought taking up a good ten minutes. No doubt she was one of the filthy rich.

The items were soon arranged in a neat bag, and the woman turned around. Molly only caught a glimpse of her face, but it was enough to see who it was. Narcissa Malfoy.

Molly never could understand why the younger woman had chosen to marry Lucius Malfoy. The Moores were a prominent family, and she could have married into another prestigious family, one that wasn't known for meddling in the Dark Arts.

Narcissa was perfectly neat as usual, wearing sky blue robes that looked as if they cost a fortune. She looked straight ahead, as if she refused to acknowledge those around her, since they were beneath her. A look of disdain was fixed upon her smooth face. She gave a contemptuous look to Molly, then walked away.

Molly had heard stories about Narcissa, before she married Lucius. And she had heard that she was a brilliant young woman. After all, the girl had won her Founders' Pride, against Lucius Malfoy and James Potter. Lucius, who no doubt already had knowledge of the Dark Arts, and James, Heir of Gryffindor.

Yet now, Narcissa was cool and collected, disdainful towards Muggle-borns. Molly had heard that the girl had had Muggle-born friends during Howarts. No doubt they had known to stay away from her when they heard news that she was to marry Lucius. It was probably all Lucius's fault anyway that Narcissa became the cold person that she was today; Lucius, who tainted such a pure sylph and made her into a sculpture of ice.

After making her purchase, Molly left Glamour and went to the bazaar for food, the path near the entrance to Diagon Alley. They were running out of vegetables and meat, and Arthur needed a healthy diet. Along the way, someone bumped into her, knocking her backwards and almost causing her to fall.

Molly turned to look at whoever it was that was so rude, no doubt still walking. She found herself facing someone. Someone with beautiful long black hair and extraordinary gray eyes. A gray that glimmered and shone like precious jewels. The skin was nicely tanned. She would have been beautiful if not for the scar running down the right side of her face, from her eyebrows down to her chin.

"Excuse me, miss. I apologize for bumping into you, but I am in a hurry. I do hope you will forgive me."

"Of course, miss. Thank you for apologizing."

The other woman nodded, then continued on her way. At least she was nice enough to apologize, Molly mused to herself.

After buying groceries, Molly apparated back to the Burrow. It was about midday, and Molly made a sandwich for herself. No need to make anything fancy if no one would be here to eat it.

She then took up cleaning the house, something that Molly did everyday. Molly wiped everything, from the mantel to the bottom of tables, making sure to wipe any dust settling away, not that there really was any, since she wiped the surfaces so frequently. Then, she swept the floor and mopped it, the wood turning shiny brown. The ghoul in the attic had been quiet these days, for which Molly was thankful for, as she was overstressed, due to Arthur.

As Molly finished the housework, an owl arrived. It would no doubt be Ginny's letter, as Pigwidgeon had reached her the previous day. Molly took the scroll off and petted the barn owl. The owl hooted softly before taking off again.

Molly unrolled the parchment and read Ginny's letter.

_Dear Mum,_

We are fine right now. There have been no attacks of any sort. Neville has been his usual nice self, and he is just wonderful. Has Ron told you that he is now dating Hermione? They became a couple last Sunday. Finally! Many of us had betting pools going around as to when they would finally get together. Don't worry though, Mum, I didn't bet at all. Ron's mad at Harry, but I don't know why. Neither of them is speaking to each other, and it's really hard on Hermione. I hope that Ron calms down soon. We both know that he has the worst Weasley temper of us all, and I really hope that he won't deprive Harry of a best friend.

Love,

Ginny

Why did Ron not mention that he was dating Hermione? Molly had always believed that the two would become a couple someday. Was he ashamed or scared that she wouldn't approve? Of course she would! The way they looked at each other...It reminded Molly so much of her and Arthur, back in their days.

And what's this nonsense about Ron mad at Harry? Harry was a wonderful boy, it would be impossible to be mad at him. Ron always got in trouble on account of his Weasley temper. She would have to talk to her son about apologizing to Harry and stopping this foolishness. It was bad enough that he had stopped talking to the dear boy during that time in Fourth Year.

Molly walked into her and Arthur's room and took out a quill from a drawer of the desk. She also took out some parchment and black ink and started to write.

_Ron,_

Why have you not told me about your current status with Hermione? And what foolishness is this, not speaking with Harry? You are his best friend, and he needs your support. Your Weasley temper always causes you to do foolish things. I ask that you apologize this instance and take up your friendship once more.

Mum

By this time, night had fallen, even though it was only six. Molly rolled the letter up and found Errol dozing away in his cage by the window. She gently woke the owl. Errol blinked groggily, then stuck its leg out. Molly attached the letter to Errol, petted him, then opened his cage door and the window latch. Errol flew away, dipping now and then. He was still reliable enough, even though he was ancient.

Molly then made her way downstairs and started sewing. Arthur needed a new pair of gloves since his old gloves was practically worn down, and she couldn't mend them as they were on him whenever she did have time to mend them.

Molly then made dinner, beef steak along with mashed potatoes and gravy. She ate a small portion of it and saved the rest for later, for Arthur when he came home.

At approximately 11:30, Arthur apparated back home. Molly quickly hid the gloves in a drawer and then went to greet him, hanging up his cloak by the front door. Molly cast a Heating Charm on the now-cold dinner, and soon, the steak was steaming hot and emitting a tasty aroma. Arthur ate half of dinner, and when Molly tried to coax him to eat more, he insisted that he was full.

After the very late dinner, Arthur took a shower, followed by Molly. Then, they crawled into bed and snuggled up to each other, Arthur's arm around Molly's waist.

***

Narcissa's eyes fluttered, then opened and gazed into the silver silk canopy of the bed. Her and Lucius's. How she desperately wished that he was here, so she could snuggle up to him and have him hold her.

Narcissa sat up and stretched, then slipped out of the bed, the silver silk covers falling smoothly onto the bed, which was not rumpled in any way. There was a ball today, at MacNair's house. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

MacNair was a chauvinistic pig, known for groping his dance partners. His wife was the epitome of upper-class snob. During balls, the women and the men were in separate groups, the men discussing plans while the women gossiped and talked about the most ridiculous things. At least most of them.

There was only one good thing about this. Lucius would be there. She hadn't seen him since Draco had left for Hogwarts, and he had not communicated at all with her. Narcissa understood the need for total secrecy, but Lucius, Lucius always made her want to break all the laws of time and space.

God, how she wanted him. And she could never stop herself from using this Muggle phrase. It had been passed on to her from one of her Muggle-born friends, back before Lucius. Narcissa always took care to not say this particular word in front of Lucius; she couldn't afford to lose him.

Narcissa glided towards the bathroom. After all, "proper" ladies were taught to behave properly at an early age. Gliding, preparing banquets and balls, and starting conversations at banquets and balls were only a few. Narcissa had learned them well, and they had come to use, as Lucius had held several magnificent balls some time ago.

She turned the tap on, the warm water instantly spewing out and collecting in the bathtub. Narcissa quickly stripped and settled into the bathtub, the warm water washing over her skin. The only thing better would be if Lucius was here with her. They had taken baths together, once, a long time ago. It was wonderful, too, his lean body rubbing against her soft one.

After the bath, Narcissa wrapped a fluffy beige towel around her body, accentuating her pale skin even more. She quickly brushed her teeth and glided back into her room. The blonde headed for the wardrobe and retrieved a pair of sky blue robes. She would have to make a late shopping trip for something nice to wear and some cosmetics.

Narcissa rang for a House Elf. Moments later, one appeared. Her personal favorite, Lizzy.

"Yes, Mistress Narcissa?"

"Lizzy, I request breakfast," Narcissa said as she changed. A split second later, a _crack_ sounded in the air, and Narcissa knew that she was gone. By the time the blonde reached the kitchen, there would already be something waiting for her.

After a breakfast of eggs and ham and sausages, Narcissa walked her way to the edge of the Malfoy estate. The Malfoy estate was quite large, spanning more than fifteen acres. There were forests, lakes, prairies, all sorts of landforms. She enjoyed walking, though. And the driveway wasn't that long, only about two or three kilometers.

Thirty minutes later, Narcissa was in Diagon Alley. She headed to Glamour, one of the most elegant shops in the place. Though it was a shame that it also offered regular items to commoners, most of whom she would rather not see. Not that she didn't have anything against them. But she knew that they would whisper about her and Lucius. And Narcissa did not appreciate being gossiped about.

The prices had risen ridiculously, Narcissa found, as she walked through the street. It wasn't a problem, what with the Malfoy fortune, but nonetheless, Narcissa didn't like spending too much money for such trivial things. Well, unless it concerned Lucius in some way.

Glamour was still neat and clean, the stone bricks firmly wedged into place, so precise that no mortar had to be used. Narcissa entered the shop and walked to the back, where the latest fashions were displayed. After all, no one ever wore the same robe twice at such social gatherings.

A long row of robes was displayed in the back, in every shape, size, color and fashion. No, definitely not lace. No collars either, or piping. After dismissing almost everything on display, Narcissa found a midnight blue dress robe. Dark blue sapphires were studded everywhere except for the sleeves, adding to the richness of the color. The sleeves, meanwhile, had onyx covering every inch of the fabric. It was acceptable.

Narcissa called on a salesperson to remove the robe. A young woman quickly scurried over, then hurried even more when she saw who Narcissa was. Yes, money was a good thing sometimes.

After taking hold of her robe, Narcissa made her way down the aisles, pulling the best shampoo, conditioner, lotion, perfume, lip gloss, and all sorts of other cosmetics into her arms. She needed to look good for Lucius.

By the time Narcissa was done, she had a huge pile of items in her arms, and she quickly made her way to the counter, thankful that she did not have to wait in line. Narcissa dropped the bottles onto the countertop, and the man was about to comment until he saw who she was. He quickly started adding up the price. How horribly slow he was.

"That will be 300 Galleons, madame," the clerk intoned respectfully.

Narcissa rolled her eyes as she reached for her money, hidden away in her robes. She dropped the amount onto the desk and reached for her bag. When she turned around, the blonde found herself facing Molly Weasley.

Molly Curtis, who could have had a much better life if she hadn't married Arthur Weasley. But, oh, what they did for love. Molly, who married a man living on the verge of poverty. Her, who sacrificed her title, her magic, and all her family and friends to marry a man known for his involvement with You-Know-Who and the Dark Arts. They were so common, yet they weren't alike at all.

Narcissa made sure to send a look filled with contempt at the pudgy woman as the redhead stepped up to the counter. The blonde exited the store gracefully and composed, then turned in the general direction of the exit.

As she walked, she felt someone bump by her shoulder. Narcissa turned, preparing to stop the person and demand an apology, or report the person to the Ministry for some minor law-breaking. However, Narcissa stopped in the middle of the swarming crowd when she caught a glimpse of the face, the face that looked back at her in surprise.

There was beautiful black hair, long and loose, as dark as night and blending in nicely with her black robes. Malfoy Grey eyes, the same shade as Lucius's and Draco's, hauntingly beautiful eyes, though ingrained with permanent sorrow. And a hideous scar, running on the right side of her face, from the eyebrows to her chin.

It could only be one person. Victoria. By the time Narcissa registered this, though, her cousin was long gone. Narcissa sighed. She needed to talk to her, ask her about everything and about Draco.

Draco, her precious Little Dragon. She loved him more than she was supposed to, given all the circumstances. Yet, she couldn't help it, not after everything that had happened.

Everyone thought that Lucius held no love for Draco. He did, at first, a long time ago, until Narcissa began to lavish her attention on the little boy instead of the grown man. The grown man who desperately wanted her, who became jealous of little Draco for stealing _his_ Narcissa away from him. Lucius had always considered her _his_ and only his, no one else's. He would whisper it to her at night, whisper to her that she was his, that she would always be his.

Narcissa made her way home, then ate salad for lunch. The blonde wasn't in the mood for something exquisite, not after losing Victoria. The only thing that could brighten this day was Lucius.

After lunch, Narcissa made her way upstairs. She spent the next several hours preparing for the ball, making sure that every single detail was perfect. By the time she emerged from the bathroom, it was time to leave for the MacNair's house.

The robes beckoned to everyone else, shimmering and sparkling. Her hair appeared golden against the robes, rippling down her back in smooth, untangled strands. Her blue eyes sparkled, light blue eye shadow carefully applied onto the eyelids. The blonde had not bothered with mascara, though her eyes were outlined. She had also put on foundation, though no blush nor any lipstick. Her lips were their beautiful deep red, and her cheeks were the perfect ivory color that Lucius loved. The necklace that Lucius had given to her rested below her neck, shining happily.

Narcissa apparated out of her house. There was an Anti-Apparation field around the Malfoy estate, though it had been altered so that she, Lucius, and Draco would be able to bypass it. In seconds, Narcissa found herself standing in front of the steps of MacNair's house, many other ladies clustered around in a circle.

The outside was white and made of marble, white marble columns supporting the overhang. The rich mahogany door was open, and Narcissa could hear music wafting out, Beethoven's _Symphony No. 9_.

"Narcissa, darling, you look splendid!" exclaimed Anise Parkinson, who had just arrived. She glided over to Narcissa. The two hugged, hands barely touching each other, and kissed the air above each other's cheeks. Anise was dressed in light pink robes with bell-shaped sleeves, lace around the collar and at the hem. Heavy makeup lined her face, and bracelets jangled on her arms.

"Anise, love, you look absolutely exquisite!" Narcissa replied.

"Why thank you, darling!!! Now, shall we join our friends?" Anise rested her hand on Narcissa's arm and gently but firmly steered her towards the growing circle of wives. Narcissa rolled her eyes in her head as she stood and listened to the conversation, joining in every so often with an assent.

"Dear, you must withdraw your daughter from Hogwarts! That school teaches nothing but riffraff. If you want sweet Pansy to receive an education, then you must send her to Durmstrang!"

"I would if Narcissa here would, love. Pansy must learn how to please her future husband, Draco."

"Narcissa, dear, why do you not send Draco to Durmstrang? He would receive a much more fitting education there."

"I do not like the prospect of Draco so far away. Lucius is giving him a good education, do not worry."

Looks were exchanged among the ladies, and Narcissa knew what they were thinking of. Her past, how she used to be a Moore, how her whole family was sent to Hogwarts. That was not the true reason.

It seemed that the potion had worked, from what Draco had told her. She hadn't intended it to go that far, but their position currently would make it much more beneficial to Draco in the long run. 

"Loves, the ball shall start soon. Let's get out of this dreadful cold."

The cluster moved as one towards the open door, two women slipping in at a time. Soon, the door was closed, leaving the carriages waiting in the open driveway.

MacNair's house was nowhere as magnificent as Malfoy Manor. The decorations were much less splendid, the estate much, much smaller. Narcissa spotted Lucius standing in a corner with the rest of the men.

The lights were dim, and _Eine Kleine Nachtmusik_ now played in the grand ballroom, which was adorned with all sorts of velvet and plush. The carpet was of velvet and so was the curtains, all in a forest green. There were several couches scattered here and there, velvet covering the plush cushions with down stuffed inside them. Many of the ladies were settling down in a group of couches, sitting impeccably straight. The men were also sitting down, though on the opposite side of the room.

MacNair and his wife came out, both dressed in their best robes. MacNair was dressed in royal green robes, his wife in a lighter jade green.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," MacNair boomed. The chatting subsided as all heads turned to look at MacNair and his wife, their host and hostess. "I ask Lucius Malfoy to lead the dancing."

Lucius stood up. "Thank you, Walden." He strode over to their part of the room, all the other women casting hopeful glances at him. It was no surprise that Lucius was the best looking one of the men, and all of them wanted to be able to dance with him. Narcissa, however, knew that he would pick her. He always did. And Lucius never relinquished his claim on her, never allowed her to dance with anyone else, which was fine with her.

"Ladies, would you not mind terribly if I borrow Miss Narcissa from you?" he asked charmingly.

The women smiled at him and allowed him to hold his hand out to Narcissa. Many of them shot the blonde jealous looks. Narcissa smiled and laid her hand in his. Lucius's fingers closed around her hand, and he pulled her up.

The two moved together to the center of the room. _Greensleeves _had now started playing, and what a beautifully tragic song it was. Lucius's right hand rested below her breasts, his left hand holding her right while her left hand lay on his shoulder. The two waltzed around the room, other couples joining them by the minute, the women giggling like young girls when they were asked to dance.

When _Greensleeves_ ended, the couples separated, the women and men each returning to their respective corners. Except for Lucius and Narcissa.

"Narcy, I would like to speak with you in private."

Narcissa nodded, and Lucius lead her away, their hands clasped together. He led her up the stairs and down one of the halls of the house, finally pulling her inside a door.

A large, spacious bed stood in one corner, the white covers smooth and unwrinkled. The wallpaper was a light beige color, causing the room to seem bigger than it was. A small chandelier with several candles lighted shone down upon them.

"Luke? What is it?"

"I've missed you, Narcy," he whispered, as his lips descended upon hers to capture her mouth in a kiss. A kiss that told of suppressed lust, of desperate need. Narcissa wrapped her arms around the taller man's neck while his arms found themselves around her waist, pressing her urgently against him, against the hardness pressing against her belly.

While the kiss went on, clothing was thrown haphazardly around the room as hands removed the restraining articles. Two bodies clung to each other, mouths and hands teasing each other to no end. And then they melded together in heated passion, in searing lust that had plagued both for long enough. The sheets became rumpled and indented as one form fell onto them, as they relieved themselves of everything that they had been feeling, as they expressed to each other how much they had missed each other.

And afterwards, the two lay curled together beneath the sheets, Lucius's arm wrapped around her protectively and possessively, Narcissa's head resting on the wonderful chest and moving with it as Lucius breathed.

"You will always be mine," Lucius whispered to her.

Narcissa looked up at the usually cold and apathetic face and ran her hand down the side of his cheek, down his neck, and onto his smooth chest.

"I know, Luke, and that's all I ever want."

***

Victoria stumbled out of bed, the annoying chirping of birds vexing her to no end. Stupid critters that would not allow a girl to have her sleep. She made her way to the bathroom, her eyes groggy and barely open.

Brushing her teeth was a challenge as Victoria fumbled with the toothbrush and fought to not drop it. The piece of plastic clattered onto the linoleum tile, and Victoria cursed as she reached down to retrieve the irritating, offensive object.

Callused fingers grabbed the toothbrush and held it under the tap, washing off the dirt and grime no doubt accumulated from the floor. Victoria stared blankly at the mirror in front of her as she brushed her teeth, the mirror reflecting the small bathroom around her, reflecting everything except her.

No, she wasn't a vampire, thank the First. That would have been awful. She never did like pig's blood, and if she had to live off of the substance...

Victoria had cast a charm onto the mirror so that the piece of glass would not reflect her, specifically, her scar. Dragon Star did not need to be reminded of her oath and her failure to fulfill the oath, at least for now. She had four very painful reminders that followed her every day—Dragon Goddess, Voldemort, the fact that she wasn't living with Tom and/or her son, and the fact that she was still living.

Both of them had lost so much. But Dragon Goddess had the true chance to regain it all back. She, on the other hand, would never be able to truly be with Tom again. Being in the greatest prophecy of all time should have been an honor, but if it meant all the pain and heartache, then Dragon Star would rather have been left out. Her and her Tom and her son. Maybe then, they could have had a happy life.

After the morning ritual, Victoria stepped out of the bathroom. She rummaged in the wardrobe until she extracted a black T-shirt, a pair of black jeans, and a black leather belt. The wardrobe was filled with all sorts of black clothing, plus several white T-shirts and several pairs of dark blue jeans. And some clothes in the current Muggle fashion, ones that clung to the body and revealed every single curve. She was way too old to wear teenage fashion, not that it showed.

Victoria then grabbed the comb off of the dresser and combed her long hair. She was not gentle with her thin hair, which was always tangled in knots. Large knots of hair appeared on her comb, and Victoria removed them and threw them into the wastebasket.

She had always been the talk of people who knew about her. An Asian with grey eyes, born to a pure bloodline. Well, except for one ancestor. One ancestor in the 13th Century. Her Malfoy Grey eyes were what set her apart from everyone else in her family, and Dragon Star had cursed her eyes many a time for leading her to such anguish.

Victoria arranged the hair so that it covered her scar. She did not like to be stared at in the streets, people whispering about her behind her back. Stupid Muggles and Witches and Wizards. None of them knew the meaning of this, knew why she chose to destroy her beauty.

Victoria then concentrated, picturing a bustling marketplace in her mind. Moments later, she was there. Oh, no, she didn't apparate. Why would Dragon Star want to do something so amateurish? After all, she needed to practice her Dragon Magic, and Apparating was for regular Witches and Wizards, ones who were stuck with Basic Magic.

Apparation was different. To apparate, one needed to picture oneself at the place that one wanted to go to. When she Speeded, all Dragon Star needed to do was to picture the place that she wanted to go to. And she arrived there faster than the speed of sound.

Many different aromas made their way up Victoria's nose and hammered at her brain, each telling her to buy it. Yum.

_Dumplings today. I haven't had them forever._

Sure, why not? A yummy blend of pork and cabbage and flour and soy sauce and all sorts of other condiments. A Chinese specialty, one that both of them enjoyed. Unlike carrots. Dragon Star shuddered at the thought of the orange vegetables.

_Mei mei, carrots aren't that bad._

Dragon Star was more of a carnivore than a herbivore. Meat was the one thing that she could eat day and night. Her father had liked meat just as much. Must be a family thing. A _recent_ family thing, considering that Long Xian was into vegetables.

Victoria walked up to the table and asked for dumplings. The man nodded, then gestured for her to take a seat. He quickly went off to serve another customer. After waiting fifteen minutes, due to the amount of customers asking for food, a bowl of steaming dumplings arrived for her.

Both of them liked spicy food. And they loved dipping it into the pepper sauce, the red staining the translucent color of the _jiao zi_. Leek stalks swirled around in the soup, and Dragon Goddess used her chopsticks to pop some into her mouth.

After paying 5 _yuan_ for the meal, Victoria left and walked down the streets. The streets were filthy, sewage running everywhere, and the driving was horrible. Drivers honked at each other and ignored all sorts of traffic rules. The cars drove on the right side of the road, and Victoria could accept that, but it was not right for a car to turn left on the very right lane, which she witnessed with her own eyes. Pedestrians crossed streets between stoplights, stopping on the white broken line to wait for the cars in the next lane to pass. Cars often swerved around pedestrians and into other lanes.

However, marketplaces were wonderful. A great selection of all sorts of merchandise, and you could haggle with the owners!! The best part of shopping in China. This was done for groceries, clothing, all sorts of other items. Why bother shopping in stores when one could haggle?

Dragon Star knew the trick. She was young enough to look school-aged, and when owners saw young girls like her, they often told the girls that they would sell the clothing for the price that they bought it at. And when the owners would not agree to sell the clothing at her price, she would pretend to leave, and the owner, seeing this, would call her back and tell her that it would be sold at her price. Very inexpensive.

Victoria wandered around the crowded and dingy aisles, displays of clothing shouting at her from both directions. Dragon Goddess liked to look at the different sorts of clothing on sale and criticize them, one way or another. The older woman was even more picky than Dragon Star, who was already very selective.

Dragon Star felt herself Speeding to their flat from one of the public bathrooms. Public bathrooms, the bane of existence. They smelled horrible, and anyone could smell one of the facilities kilometers away. They had the eastern concept, the kind where one had to squat over an opening. And no toilet paper was provided; the user had to bring his/her own. Plus, the nicer ones charged a fee, and the only difference was that they were a bit brighter and cleaner, but not by much.

Moments later, Victoria was standing in her flat, in front of her open wardrobe.

_What was that for?_

I want to visit Diagon Alley, catch up on Wizarding trends, maybe listen to a few gossip mongers at it. And we can't have you wearing Muggle clothing there, can we?

Dragon Star frowned but pulled out a pair of black robes. Stupid Diagon Alley. No need to go there, but of course, Dragon Goddess was still fascinated with British culture. Dragon Star would gladly remain in China, where she had only been for eight years before she arrived in Britain.

It was Fate that brought her and Tom together, but it was ill-fated from the beginning, even though Fate herself had designated it. Their love was doomed from the start. Unlike Narcissa's, who actually had an attempt at true happiness. It was unfair.

But then, everything was. Dragon Goddess, who lost her brother at an early age. Lost her brother, who she loved dearly, more than she was supposed to. Both of their love lives were never meant to be, one in love with the one that she couldn't, the other in love with the one that she shouldn't.

Moments later, Victoria had Speeded into Diagon Alley, near Gringotts. She felt someone bump into her and turned to look. Victoria found herself looking into someone that she wasn't supposed to.

Long blonde hair framing a delicate face, blue eyes looking back at her. Tall figure, dressed in sky blue robes, looking as beautiful as ever. Narcissa.

Dragon Star let out a string of curse words that made Dragon Goddess laugh. She quickly walked away, hoping that Narcissa wouldn't recover sufficiently anytime soon to seek after her. She had a reason for not contacting Narcissa. Nothing was ready yet, and her cousin wasn't supposed to see her, not right now, anyways.

_Look at what you did._

_No harm done. She didn't digest it in time._

We weren't supposed to be seen by her! This could ruin everything!

You don't believe your own cousin? You ought to have more faith than that.

Victoria felt herself bump into another person. Just her luck, to have two people know about her. Not many of her old friends would still recognize her, for which she was thankful of, but she did not want to be seen by anyone.

Victoria turned around to find herself standing in front of a dumpy woman with loads of red hair. Great, a Weasley. No doubt she would be commented about to the Weasley that worked at the Ministry, and Victoria did not need any more publicity.

"Excuse me, miss. I apologize for bumping into you, but I am in a hurry. I do hope you will forgive me," Victoria said as politely as she could, mentally wishing that she could snap the woman's neck in half.

"Of course, miss. Thank you for apologizing."

Victoria nodded and quickly turned and walked away, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

_I told you this was a bad idea!_

It's your fault that we bumped into her!

Just shut up!

Dragon Goddess was so annoying sometimes. She was much sweeter and much nicer than Dragon Star herself, and she was very helpful to other people. She was one of those girls who were sugar, spice, and everything nice. The older woman was like a big sister to her when, in fact, they were truly ancestor and descendant, though many generations apart.

Dragon Star felt a tinge of sadness running through Dragon Goddess, but she didn't care. She was cold, as cold as her skin in winter, which was always colder than ice. She couldn't afford to care; many people and many feelings were going to be trampled on during this game.

___________________

mei mei - little sister

Long Xian - Dragon Goddess

jiao zi - the "zi" is pronounced like the "ze" in "maize." It means dumplings.

Yuan - the Chinese unit of money. US$1 is approximately 8.50 Yuan. US$1 is also approximately £1.50. You calculate the currency exchange.

Thanks to:

Talaquinn!

And all readers!


	23. Chapter 21: Lost

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 21

Lost

Some time later, Hermione and Ron returned to the Gryffindor common room. The two were holding hands, and Ron had a goofy grin on his face. The two passed by Harry, Ron blatantly ignoring Harry, though Hermione stopped, forcing Ron to stop as well. The redhead refused to look at Harry.

"Harry, can you believe that Ron and I are finally together? Right, Ron?"

Ron grunted. Harry smiled happily at the two of them. At least something good was happening from this.

"That's great, Herm! Ron, congratulations!"

Ron pretended that he didn't hear Harry's words and walked away resolutely, taking Hermione with him. Harry sighed. This was not going to be easy.

It was like Fourth Year, when Ron had stopped speaking to him because he was jealous. Only this time, it wasn't jealousy. It was anger. Harry still had Hermione and Draco, but Ron was his best friend, and Harry hated it when Ron was mad at him.

It was tough during classes. Hermione sat between the two and made conversation with the both of them, and though Harry responded to both of them, Ron only replied to Hermione and ignored any remarks Harry made.

Hermione was obviously very frustrated, and she commented to Harry that she was trying to persuade Ron, though he still refused to listen to her. When something happened, Harry would picture himself talking to Ron about it, only to remember that the redhead wasn't speaking to him.

Draco, meanwhile, had not taken it well when Harry told him.

"What do you mean Granger and Weasel know?"

"It's Ron, Draco. They are my best friends, love. When Herm asked me, I couldn't help it. Besides, Pansy knows."

Draco's look darkened at the mention of Pansy's name.

"I did not tell Parkinson about it, thank you very much. She found out without either of us knowing, but you told them! There was a reason for not telling them! We both knew how the Weasel would react!"

"Ron, Draco, not Weasel."

"He has to prove to me that he deserves to be called Ron."

"What happened between your families?"

"Before we came from France, the Weasleys were the most prestigious family in the U.K. But when my ancestors moved here, we quickly took their place in the social system. They hated us for that. Even now, they still do. And you know how they were reduced to poverty?"

Harry nodded.

"All the money they lost went to my family. It added onto the hatred they had for us, and we had no reason to like them, either."

However, Draco had quickly forgiven him, and Harry was glad about that. He could not afford to lose Draco, not right after he lost Ron.

The Gryffindor was glad that Ron hadn't told anyone about what he had overheard. Harry had expected Ron to retaliate, but no doubt 'Mione had talked him out of it.

The whole school was aware that Ron was no longer on speaking terms with Harry, and many rumors were circulating around Hogwarts about the cause of the rift. The enmity between the redhead and Draco seemed to be even worse, with Ron constantly taunting Draco mercilessly in the halls and Draco insulting him back with equal vigor. Harry, meanwhile, was found to be restraining Ron and often, roughly pushed aside.

Several days after Hermione and Ron became a couple, an owl arrived for Ron at breakfast. The redhead paled visibly when he saw whom it was from, but when he finished reading it, he was absolutely furious.

"Ginny! How could you talk to Mum? I was going to tell her about me and 'Mione! And she doesn't have to know about me and Harry!"

Ron stormed away from the table, anger visibly radiating off of him. Hermione quickly scanned the note where he left it at the table, then hurried after her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Ginny had started crying, and Neville patted her awkwardly in a vain effort to console her. Harry didn't know what to do, so he just sat there and finished breakfast by himself.

Later, Hermione told him about what Mrs. Weasley had written to Ron, how she wanted him to apologize to Harry. She also told him that Ron had told her that he would not. Harry sighed in defeat while Hermione tried to cheer him up by telling him that Ron had started allowing her to mention his name, which did not help Harry's mood much.

Draco became Harry's only sanctuary. The blonde had started opening up to him more, and Harry had started to understand more about the xanthochroid. The Gyffindor also found himself confiding in the other more than he had ever confided in Ron.

Draco, meanwhile, was still not speaking to Pansy. He was determined to make the girl talk to him first, and Pansy felt exactly the same way. It was also becoming a bit harder to shake off Crabbe and Goyle, but the blonde was able to accomplish it.

What he didn't know was that the two had become more of Pansy's minions than his own. He also didn't know that Slytherin House had noticed the lack of his presence, and he most certainly did not know that Pansy chose to be conveniently absent when he was. Nor did he know that Vince and Greg were helping things along by talking about the two of them.

Pansy, however, did. And she resented Potter more and more for what he did to her Draco. Draco should have been able to notice all of this, yet he hadn't, not since Potter came into the picture. He had also become less careful, and it would be quite easy to follow him if anybody wanted to. However, the only person who truly hated Draco was Blaise, and since the other Slytherin was gone, Draco had it easy.

She knew that Draco was going to make her apologize, and she truly wanted to. Yet, Pansy wanted to prove that she could live without Draco. The brunette often caught herself staring at the blonde, though she quickly snapped herself out of it and made sure that no one noticed the display.

Vince and Greg, meanwhile, observed all three of them closely. Their fathers had owled them and told them that there was an initiation due in the summer and that the two would most certainly be in it. Crabbe and Goyle Sr. had told them to not let their fathers down, to make sure that they made their families proud.

Both young men knew that they would have to go through with the initiation. However, neither knew whether or not they were going to become spies, like Snape. They certainly did not want the fate that befell the older man to happen to them. Snape had been very careful, playing the double agent, yet he had still been caught. And the two could not bear the thought if that were to happen.

Draco was bound to become a spy, what with his current relationship with Potter. Pansy, meanwhile, would no doubt switch sides. She would definitely support Draco, no matter what side he was on. It was sad, in a way, Pansy's unrequited love for Draco, but no one ever said that life was fair.

They had had to conceal their identities their whole lives, to keep others from looking past them. And while doing this, they had found each other. They had worked together, since what they did was basically the same, and they had developed a relationship from it.

Love wasn't meant for them. Love was meant for the weak. Yet, even the strongest would cave in to love. Draco had, and he was not supposed to, due to his Malfoy Upbringing. Their relationship was supposed to be nothing personal, yet it had become personal.

Pansy was remarkable in how she dealt with Draco and Potter's relationship, especially given how she felt about the two of them, together and by themselves. The brunette had been brought up to hate Potter and all that he stood for, and she had been brought up to please Draco. Falling in love with him hadn't been expected, but it had happened.

She had pretended as if nothing had happened. In fact, it still appeared as if the two were still talking to each other, when that was the furthest thing from the truth. But Vince and Greg knew that it pained her, that a dagger had been stabbed through her heart, not that she let it show. Parkinsons were strong, and Pansy had to uphold her family honor.

Yes, everything was becoming more and more complex as time went by.

***

March 28 arrived quite fast for everyone. On that particular Saturday, Harry found himself surrounded by well-wishers. The Gryffindor smiled back at them and thanked them, though mentally, he knew that he would disappoint all of them when he did not complete his task.

The same thing happened with Draco. Another party had already been prepared, as everyone believed that Draco would take the lead, as always. Draco was stoic, like usual, Pansy sitting by him and chatting to the air in front of them. They weren't speaking, but appearances had to be kept.

All too soon, breakfast was over, and the student population of Hogwarts trudged outside. The leaves had started turning green once more, and light green lined the brown of the tree branches. The grass had started growing again, though the student body trampled on the shoots when they gathered on the front lawn.

Standing in front of the steps were Harry, Draco, Terry, and Susan. When Professor Dumbledore walked down the steps, everyone stopped talking and turned to look at him. The High Table was, once again, placed by the steps, and Dumbledore walked to his place.

"It's time for Hufflepuff's Test! Our champions have received instructions for this task, and we shall see if they can accomplish it! Champions, get ready," Terry tensed, "and go!"

Terry quickly ran up the steps while the other three just stood. A screen stood in front of the doors, and the pupils followed Terry's progress through the castle.

Many Gryffindors shot Harry confused looks while the Slytherins muttered amongst themselves and conspired against Draco.

Ten minutes later, Terry returned, holding a black leather-bound book in his hand.

"Hey, that's mine!" shouted another Ravenclaw, fighting thought the crowd to reach Terry, though to no avail as several Ravenclaws restrained him.

Dumbledore stood up.

"Good job, Mr. Boot. However, Hufflepuff valued loyalty, and this test tests the faithfulness of each of you. Twenty-five points shall go to Mr. Boot. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, and Miss Bones shall each receive fifty points for not carrying out their tasks! Each of you shall receive a slip of parchment on April 17, a Friday, which will tell you about the last contest. The last contest shall occur on Thursday, June 10, the day after exams. Champions, beware that N.E.W.T.s are at the end of May, and you do have to take those."

Draco was swept away by the Slytherins, congratulating him for figuring out the trick. Harry was surrounded by Gryffindors who pushed him toward Gryffindor Tower. Terry, meanwhile, was on the ground, the other Ravenclaw pummeling his face. A ring of Ravenclaws surrounded them, cheering and betting. The last thing Harry saw before entering the castle was Professor McGonagall busting over to them.

***

"Great job, Harry!" Hermione congratulated. Ron was still avoiding Harry, and he stayed as far away as possible, pointedly glaring at Hermione so that she would hurry up. Hermione, however, pretended to not notice it.

The Creevy brothers bombarded Harry and refused to leave his side while all the raven-haired boy wanted to do was to sneak out and wait for Draco.

The party lasted from morning to after midnight, with many Gryffindors congratulating Harry for a job well done and telling him that he could very well exceed Malfoy's lead and win. Finally, sometime before midnight, Harry made his way upstairs while everyone else was still busy partying. He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and proceeded downstairs, then slipped by Ron when the redhead left for more food from the kitchens.

Harry made his way to the regular spot, almost bumping into Filch on the way, who looked around suspiciously before continuing on his nightly rounds of the castle. When the Gryffindor arrived, he found Draco asleep, sprawled on top of the covers. The blonde looked absolutely angelic, pale gold strands of hair framing the soft face.

Harry gently brushed a lock of hair away from the beautiful face, so innocent in sleep. His rough fingers accidentally stroked against the face, and the smooth skin was deathly cold. The Gryffindor slid the covers out from under Draco, then covered the smaller boy with the warm material. Harry then slid under the covers and wrapped his arms around Draco, eyes closing in contentment. They stayed that way for the rest of the night.

***

"Ron, please, go talk to Harry," Hermione pleaded. The brunette had left the Gryffindor common room for some peace and quiet so that she could study for N.E.W.T.s, and she took Ron with her. The two were studying the same book, though more often than not, Hermione's attention was diverted by Ron, who was distracting her from studying some way or other. Ron had tried to snog her, but Hermione adamantly refused, saying that such activity was inappropriate while they were in the Library.

Ron's face darkened.

"Why? He betrayed us for our enemy, remember?"

"But Harry's been your best friend ever since First Year, Ron. Don't you think you owe it to him to listen to what he has to say?"

"I knew you would take his side, 'Mione," grumbled the redhead, and he started to stand up from the chair that they were sharing.

"Ron, you know that's not true! You know that I love you!"

"Funny way of showing your love, Herm."

A dark look passed over Hermione's face, and she slammed the N.E.W.T. preparation book shut. The brunette stood up in anger.

"Fine then, Ron, have it your way," Hermione whispered, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She quickly pushed past the redhead and headed for the door. Ron stood looking after her but quickly ran after her once he comprehended that they were about to break up if he didn't do something fast, like stop her from leaving the Library and their relationship.

The redhead caught Hermione right before she reached the door. Hermione glared at him.

"Move aside, Ron."

Ron's hands grabbed Hermione's shoulders, and she looked up at him.

"Get your hands off me, Ronald Weasley."

Ron could see tears shimmering in his love's eyes, and he felt awful for causing Hermione to cry.

"Hear me out, 'Mione. I'm just tired of Harry always being in the spotlight. You know that, don't you? I'm sorry for hurting you, and I'll think about talking to Harry. Okay? Don't cry anymore, love. My heart breaks when you do."

Hermione gave a great sob and threw her arms around Ron, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Ron, meanwhile, removed his hands from her shoulders and wrapped them around the brunette's waist while he kissed the Head Girl's tears away.

"Ron...I love you."

"I love you too, 'Mione."

The happy couple heard someone clear her throat, and they turned towards the source of the sound. Hermione immediately blushed and quickly extracted herself from Ron, hastily wiping her tears away. Madame Pince glared at the two of them.

"I will not tolerate such displays in the future, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger. I thought you knew better than that, Miss Granger, having been in here for seven years. If you wish to do such things, do them during your own time and leisure. The Library is a place of quietness and studiousness, not a place for couples to make up. That's why we have an Astronomy Tower."

"Yes, Madame," Hermione replied, then sent an affronted look at Ron. The brunette, however, abandoned her book and linked her fingers with Ron's, then walked back to Gryffindor Tower with the redhead to enjoy the party, which was still going strong and had not died down in the tiniest bit.

***

Draco awoke to find himself wrapped in Harry's arms, and he snuggled closer to the Gryffindor. They had slept the night away under the jade green covers in the room, and it was the first time that they had spent the night in each other's arms.

Draco looked at Harry. The wild, unruly black hair that refused to listen, the sparkling emerald eyes full of life, the tanned and rough skin from years of work, it was all Harry and only Harry. It was part of his innocence, not just in appearance but also in spirit. And it was part of what Draco loved about Harry, part of what he would never have again.

Draco lay, content to listen to Harry breathe and feel his chest moving up and down in time with his slow and rhythmic breathing. If only everyday could be like this, lying in Harry's arms and knowing that Harry loved him, knowing that he had someone who lived for him. But there was no peace to be had, not yet anyway.

Over the summer, Lucius had told him that as soon as he graduated from Hogwarts, he would be initiated. And Lucius had told Draco that he had to uphold the family honor and master everything that he needed to know and make their Master proud.

Draco had no doubt that he would become a spy, like Uncle Sevvy. Poor Uncle Sevvy, who died with no one praising him except the old fool Dumbledore. He had no love to mourn for him, no love to put flowers on his grave, no love to cry about him and miss him and want him. Draco did miss Uncle Sevvy and how the blonde could always talk to the older man, but a Godson was not the same as a lover, and it had all been the werewolf's fault.

He, however, would have Harry, always and forever. Harry, who would wait for him, who would soothe and comfort him, who would hold him, who would cry for him, who would save him, who would love him.

When Draco gazed back at his lover, he found himself looking into beautiful green eyes that shone happily back at him. Harry's hands tightened around the xanthochroid.

"Good morning, love," Harry whispered.

"Same here. How long have you been here?"

"Since about midnight. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting for so long that you fell asleep."

Draco shrugged.

"If this is what I get every time, then it's worth it." And saying this, the blonde leaned over and placed a kiss on Harry's wonderfully delicious lips. Harry responded eagerly, and soon, the two were writhing under the covers.

Finally, the two young men separated.

"It's late. I'll have to get back," Draco whispered.

"Already?" Harry asked, pouting.

"Love, as much as I want to stay with you, I'm not in a House with idiots who aren't able to see what's right under their noses."

"Hey!" cried Harry indignantly in a joking way.

"I'll see you later, love," Draco said as he unwillingly slid away from Harry and out of the bed, smoothing his robes and grabbing his Invisibility Cloak. He gave one last look filled with want and love to Harry before exiting the room. Moments later, Harry followed, walking in the opposite direction.

A pair of mahogany-colored eyes followed the two of them in their path, and lips made red with lipstick curved in an arrogant smirk. She had both of them where she wanted them, and soon, Draco would be hers.

***

Ron was awake when Harry sneaked back into the dorms. Seamus and Dean had had a hot night together, and Neville was a heavy sleeper. He, however, had known that Harry hadn't been in bed the whole night, and the redhead did not want to know what the other young man might have been doing with Malfoy.

Ron didn't know what to do. He had told Hermione that he would consider talking to Harry, and he had. Harry had been his best friend since First Year, and the other Gryffindor never judged him by his wealth or by his stature in society. Also, Harry never asked to be a celebrity; fame had been thrust upon him ever since he was one.

However, Ron was still jealous of Harry's fame, even though he never asked for it. The redhead had been overshadowed by his brothers his whole life—Bill, Head Boy; Charlie, Seeker; Percy, another Head Boy; and Fred and George, the infamous troublemakers that even rivaled James Potter and Sirius Black. It just wasn't fair that he was always the one in the shadows of everyone else.

Also, there was the fact that Harry was seeing Malfoy. Malfoy! Malfoy, who had done everything he could to ruin their lives ever since First Year. Malfoy, who had almost caused Hagrid to be sacked. Malfoy, who had taunted him constantly about the state of his family's finances. Malfoy, whose Dad had slipped Ginny the diary of Tom Riddle. Malfoy, who had been nothing but a nasty git to Hermione. Malfoy, who treated them like inferiors and could care less about any of them, especially Harry.

And yet, somehow, Harry had forgotten all that. Harry had forgotten all the wrongs that Malfoy had done to them and had somehow managed to fall in love with that prat. Ron was pretty sure that the slimy git was just using Harry and would probably hand him over to You-Know-Who. But if Harry couldn't see that, then what was the use of him talking to the other boy? Ron debated over whether he should talk to Harry or not and fell asleep considering it.

***

Draco carefully made his way to the Slytherin common room. When he arrived, he whispered the password and made his way inside, cautiously stepping over the drunken figures lying about in the room. As the blonde was about to make his way to his dorm, he heard the stone wall sliding open and shut behind him.

The xanthochroid turned around to look at the newcomer. It was Pansy, holding a white cloak in her hand. His Merging Cloak. Her eyes lit up in surprise when she saw Draco standing near the steps to the boys' dorms.

"What are you doing with my Cloak, Pansy?" Draco asked harshly. The brunette did not have his permission to borrow such valuable things, both in monetary value and in sentimental value.

Draco then noticed the dull look in Pansy's eyes, the dull look that he had never seen before. Her dark brown eyes were always lively and cheerful. Besides being dull, the eyes were also red-rimmed and puffy, though it looked more like she hadn't had enough sleep than due to her crying somewhere away from their territory where she could be caught by anyone.

Pansy just looked at him tiredly before handing him the Cloak. Draco received it bewilderingly, not expecting Pansy to remain silent. He called after her, forgetting that they were not speaking.

"Pansy, wait."

Pansy looked back at him, again with the tired and deadened look in her eyes.

"Don't, Draco. Don't," she whispered brokenly before heading to her dorm, not even caring that Draco had spoken to her and leaving him to stare after her confusedly, wondering why she hadn't responded to him even though they hadn't talked for weeks.

____________________________

I have made it up to all of you last week!

Thanks to:

Bookworm - Xie xie!!

Angels Prayer

Talaquinn - What do you mean by radical? And yeah, I know that Vic is really vague.

TarotBabyGirl - This fic should have about 30-40 chapters, as much as I can manage because I love writing! More H&D moments, of course! I love writing them together, and it's still kinda new, so not a lot yet.

Zeaira Winchester

And all readers!!!


	24. Chapter 22: ColdHearted Loveliness

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 22

Cold-Hearted Loveliness

Pansy collapsed onto her bed. Draco had talked to her. Talked to her. But she hadn't cared. She was supposed to, yet she didn't.

It had been too tiring, these days, sleeping in cold corridors under Draco's Merging Cloak, indulging in his scent, and knowing that he could never belong to her. The brunette was still going to use Draco's Merging Cloak, whether he liked it or not, whether he approved of it or not. She wasn't a little girl that needed his permission for everything. She was an able-bodied Slytherin who would do whatever she needed to reach her goal.

Pansy had taken the tiring job of keeping Draco safe upon herself. The job that drained her of all she had, that sucked out everything she had and made her eyes deadened.

The Slytherin's marks hadn't gone down. She wasn't expected to be at the top of their class, like Draco, but she was expected to be in the top ten. It had taken her all the effort she had left to hold on to number three, right below Granger and Draco.

The tears had stopped a long time ago. She didn't have any tears left. Now, instead of tears, there was nothing. Nothing except emptiness, emptiness where her heart should have been.

Pansy's heart had been shattered into millions of tiny pieces. Those pieces had been glued back together, though haphazardly, and her heart was a disfigured clump of broken shards, sharp edges sticking up everywhere and pieces stuck to foreign pieces that had all the niches and bumps at the wrong places.

Could she love again? Pansy didn't know. Even if she could, would it be anything but bittersweet? Draco had been ingrained into each of the shattered fragments of her heart, the heart that wasn't even supposed to exist in the first place.

Draco infuriatingly angered her, yet she loved him with all she had, all her heart, even though it was now a hodgepodge of jumbled jigsaw pieces that weren't put together properly and were left deformed forever. She loved him because he was beautiful and was wonderful and a bit caring and a bit sweet underneath the cold front that Lucius had constructed, even back then. And she hated him for causing her to fall in love with him, for doing something that should never have happened to anyone with the Parkinson name, for making her weak and pathetic, a slave to love, something that no Parkinson had ever been before until her. Pansy should have hated the exquisitely perfect blonde for breaking her heart, but she couldn't. However, the brunette did hate him for doing this to her, draining her of her youth, vigor, and vitality.

Because Pansy loved Draco, she could never hate him in peace. The love was always stronger than the hate, overpowering it. Another reason that she hated him, all the while loving him with a fierce passion.

Pansy barely slept for an hour before rising from the hardly warm bed. The sleep wasn't even peaceful. She had tossed and turned fitfully. Even sleeping in corridors was better than this, because she could manage to catch some sleep that way while Draco was sharing a warm bed with Potter. It was a way of punishment, punishing her for falling in love with Draco, falling in love with a charmer that lived up to his family name, punishing her for betraying the Parkinson name. The bed was hardly warmer than the stone corridors, and she found that she had grown accustomed to the hard floor. The soft mattress was a foreign object. How was she going to survive the summer at Parkinson Manor? Probably by taking the mattress off of the bed.

All of the brunette's dorm-mates were still asleep, which she was thankful for. Silly simpletons that would grovel before the Dark Lord's feet and obey him like faithful puppies. Pansy locked herself into the bathroom that they shared. No one was going to see her like this, weak and pathetic. All because of Draco.

One entire cabinet had been devoted to her stuff, and there were only two cabinets in the place. The other girls had not dared to object. After all, she was a Parkinson. The walls were made of the same stone as the rest of the dungeons, gloomy and foreboding. A large bathtub made of marble stood to one side, big enough to hold two people. A marble sink stood by the toilet, which was a few paces away from the bathtub.

A large mirror was opposite the sink, extending from the floor to a few millimeters below the ceiling. The oval-shaped glass was attached to two thin beams of wood at the poles, the two beams connecting the mirror to the two wider beams of wood at the sides. Where the beams of wood intersected was a pattern of curls, much like the designs on letterheads. The ebony formed into two griffin claws that rested on the stone floor.

Pansy opened the mahogany cabinet and took out her makeup. She applied tons of foundation, then outlined her eyes several times, making sure that the black covered the red around her eyes. The brunette then dabbed loads of purple eye shadow on her eyelids in another attempt to obscure her tired eyes. Tired eyes were a sign of weakness, and she was not going to appear weak.

The Slytherin applied a royal purple lipstick, the same shade as her eye shadow, to her lips, making sure that every inch of tissue was covered by the artificial substance. She then applied a layer of gloss to the now dark purple lips, making them glittery as well. Glitter always made people look more lively and cheerful than they really were.

The brunette took out glitter body gel and rubbed a plenty amount onto her neck, arms, and legs, the glitter sure to blind eyes, due to the concentration and amount. The Slytherin then braided her hair into an elaborate fishtail braid and tied the plait of hair with a dark purple ribbon, same exact color as everything else.

Pansy then put on a dark purple spaghetti strap and a miniskirt of the same shade and slipped on black leather boots. After that, the brunette put on deep purple robes and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to have matching colors of everything, of course. After all, being an aristocrat meant looking spectacular every day. Pansy looked like her normal everyday dressy and cheery self. Good.

The brunette made her way to the Great Hall, where there were only Ravenclaws besides herself and the professors, no doubt because their House was the only one that hadn't thrown a party the previous night, celebrating the victory of their champion.

Idiotic Ravenclaws. Books weren't everything. Look at Granger. She was incredibly smart, yet it took her three years to realize that Weasel liked her back.

Brains didn't mean everything to society. Without other factors, such as money, prestige, or looks, then one could never advance in society, much less marry into a good family. Ancient tomes of knowledge were just ancient tomes of knowledge. They were mainly just there, their purpose to fill up young minds with useless information.

Pansy surveyed the Ravenclaws. Head Boy was surrounded by his friends, and his Sixth Year girlfriend was gazing adoringly at him. Mordred, she better not have looked like that in past times. Further down the table was the group of Seventh Year girls. Turpin was talking animatedly while the others exchanged looks amongst each other.

Turpin moved her head, and the two young women's gazes locked on each other. Turpin smiled sinisterly before removing her gaze and turning to Padma Patil. Something was not right. Turpin wouldn't have brushed her off so easily. There had been malicious triumph in those eyes. Pansy made a mental note to herself to keep an eye on the Ravenclaw.

School Sluts had always been Ravenclaws. Hufflepuffs would never dare do something so scandalous. Their little minds would stop if they dared to do such disloyal things. Hufflepuffs wanted a sweet relationship in which both sides were wonderfully faithful and honest with each other, never keeping secrets from each other or doing anything unfaithful. Why, they would faint if their lover was caught looking at someone else. Stupid dunderheads.

The Gryffindors held a similar concept when it came to romance. They wanted it to be for love. The kind of foolish love that wouldn't get anyone anywhere. They liked their love lives to be exciting, but they still wanted it to be built on faith and trust. Being sluttish would be a cowardly thing to do in their eyes.

Slytherins, meanwhile, would never stoop that low. Love? Love existed as much as Hufflepuffs going to a strip bar—not a chance. There was no romance. Marriages were made for wealth, power, and prestige, nothing else. They were business ventures.

Ravenclaws, though, were the type of people willing to slut around. They were smart enough to do so, certainly. And why not? It was a good learning experience. But not many people were willing to take used goods. Served them right.

Love would never be good and pure and perfect. Pansy had first-hand experience. Love was a tool that would destroy anyone who dared to claim it, its pretty illusions enslaving foolish humans. Yet, who wouldn't want love? It was bliss and joy and exhilaration. She should have listened to her father's talks about love more.

_"Never fall in love, Pansy. Never fall in love."_

"Why not, Father?"

"You see what we have here?" Her father gestured to the magnificent sitting room, one of many in Parkinson Manor, though it was not even near the extravagance of Malfoy Manor. Three glass walls surrounded the room, letting in shafts of sunlight that fell upon the mahogany floor, covered with a thick, forest green, velvet carpet. A crystal chandelier hung on the ceiling, ivory candles resting in the candelabras. The room was spacious. A glass coffee table was near one end, a set of three royal green plush sofas around the coffee table centerpiece, the longest sofa facing the other side of the room. Behind the sofa, at the very right of the wall, was the mahogany door, the sunlight gleaming off of the rich brown panels. On the opposite of the room was a table. The round tabletop was made of glass while mahogany legs supported the clear surface. Eight high-backed mahogany chairs encircled the table. Pansy sat in front of a glass wall, facing her father and the rest of the room. Her hands clutched the sides of the chair, and she swung her legs happily as she listened to her father's lesson, one of many during her childhood days, before Hogwarts. Her father had taught her the proper behavior of Parkinsons while her mother instructed her on the proper etiquette of ladies. She had been at the smart age of six at that time, two years after she first met Draco, two years after she became engaged to Draco. Pansy nodded, her eyes barely surpassing the top of the table. Her hair had been braided into two braids, tied at the end with red silk ribbons. Fiddy, her personal caretaker/nurse House Elf, had dressed her in pink satin robes, her favorite pair. Draco was coming to visit today, along with Lord and Lady Malfoy.

"You will lose all of this if you ever fall in love. You like all of this, don't you?"

Pansy nodded enthusiastically. The Sun Room was her favorite room in the Manor. She liked to play by the walls, the sunlight streaming onto her small form as she broke the head off of a Harry Potter doll, given to her by her older brother, Peter. He had been brought up for the Light, her for the Dark. Draco had asked her once, while she broke the head off of another Harry Potter doll, why. She had looked at him with surprise as she answered,_ "You like him? He'll be the downfall of the both of us." _Draco had nodded and contemplated her answer while she dragged him away, to the lake.

__

"If you ever fall in love, Pansy, you'll lose everything. The Manor, your power, your prestige. You'll be scorned by proper society. You'll never be able to play in this room again. You'll lose all your pretty clothes and toys. You'll lose your servants. You will be used and, then, left broken. You don't want to be broken, do you?"

Pansy shook her head.

"That's a good girl. Remember this, Pansy. Now, I believe the Malfoys are here." A House Elf had appeared. "Why don't you go and greet them? Your mother and I will be there in a second."

"Yes, Father." Pansy slid off the chair and walked gracefully out of the Sun Room. She hadn't perfected gliding yet, though she was almost there. That had been the first time her father had talked to her about love.

__

Later that day, she had asked Draco, "Do you believe in love?"

His adorably childish face turned towards her with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you believe that love exists?"

"Shouldn't it?"

"Father told me that love is bad."

"I like love. Mummy loves me." That had ended the conversation_._

During Yule Break of First Year, her family had gone to Malfoy Manor for Yule Dinner. She had, not for the first time, been awed by the sheer magnificence of the place. Sweeping marble staircases, gleaming crystal chandeliers, exquisite furniture, ornate plafonds, luxurious carvings and statues, everything in the place spoke of wealth and power.

Pansy had sat in Draco's room, noting that the black dragon plushy that she had given to him when they were little was by his bed. She asked him again.

__

"Do you believe in love?"

Draco sneered.

"Love? Love is only for the weak. Love is the best way to exploit someone. Surely you don't believe in it."

"Of course not. I, believe in love?"

Then, in Third year, she had started to realize that she had fallen in love with him. When he was attacked by the hippogriff, she had felt something inside her break. And Pansy had felt pain at his pain.

The arm had taken a long time to heal. The cut had damaged more flesh than it seemed, and it hurt more than Draco cared to admit. She had sat on his bed in the dorm, tenderly kneading and caressing the flesh, and the brunette had felt him twitch from the pain.

And she was hurt because he was hurt. Pansy had grown more and more attached to Draco from then on. He began to realize that she wasn't just acting the dutiful fiancée after the Yule Ball in Fourth Year. They had had a relationship since Second Year, one that stemmed from their betrothal, but it had meant nothing. But when Pansy fell, it had started to become something, at least to her.

At the end of Fourth Year, Draco had talked to her.

_"Pansy, what do you think of love?"_

The brunette felt herself stiffen. She laughed disdainfully, though it didn't sound quite as scornful as she had intended.

"Love? Love is the thing that will destroy anyone who tries to claim it."

"I'm glad that you feel that way. I have no heart. Love means nothing to me. You know that, don't you?"

Pansy nodded.

That had been Draco's warning to her—don't fall in love with me because I'll hurt you and destroy you. She had tried her best to stop, but Pansy hadn't been able to stop the torrent of feelings that dragged her under.

In Fifth Year, after Pansy believed that everything would be alright, after that night, Draco broke her heart. He had told her that on behalf of their friendship, he was ending this. He was using her, and he would break her completely if he allowed this to continue. A broken heart was better than a broken spirit, he had said.

Their relationship had become too personal, and Draco made sure that it didn't go beyond chaste kisses after that night. At the end of Sixth Year, he had told her that it was best if they didn't marry. Their marriage was a business venture, and her love had tainted it. Their marriage could never be what it was meant to be again. Pansy had not argued.

This year, Draco had changed again. There had been some unease and discomfort at first, as both needed to reacquaint themselves with each other and their no longer existent betrothal. And Pansy believed that she liked the old Draco more. She had become used to him, his heart of ice. He had been easier to love, a perfect sculpture of coldness.

The new Draco was the little boy whom she had played with in days long past, at least in attitude. That Draco had been a naive but adorable boy, and Pansy liked yet didn't like Draco like that. He was supposed to be unshatterable and cynical and sarcastic and biting and cold. The new Draco with his sweetness and goodness, he was missing something that the old Draco had. Something big and important and special, though Pansy couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly.

The day was horribly bland. Again, only Ravenclaws attended lunch, and Pansy found herself staring at Turpin. Turpin, dressed in the sluttiest thing she could fine, a semi-transparent crop top, the tightest miniskirt Pansy had ever seen, the material barely covering half of her butt, fishnet stockings, and stilettos. Every day was a day to advertise, after all. Not that she needed to. Turpin had a giant reputation among the student body and the staff. The Ravenclaw was talking animatedly to the girls. No doubt bragging about another conquest.

The other girl caught Pansy's eye, then stabbed viciously into her steak, smiling wickedly and nefariously the whole time. Pansy remained unfazed and stoic, determined to not let the Ravenclaw get the better of her. The grin never faltered, though Pansy could detect uncertainty beginning to fall upon the slut. Stupid bitch. Draco would never be either of theirs.

Dinner was quiet as the Slytherins recovered from their hangovers. There were complaints of headaches and stiffness and incoordination all around. Vince and Greg hadn't drunk, but they had chosen to remain in bed. No need to spur doubt.

Pansy had been taught to never fall into a drunken stupor.

_"A proper lady never becomes drunk."_

"Why not, Mother?"

"It is unfitting for us. Such lewd things are for the commoners. No one will think the worse of them if they start acting deranged. But we have images to keep, Pansy. We must always act like proper ladies. Now, let's try gliding again. You appear off-balance most of the time. I may ask Lady Malfoy to teach you. She had the most premium education of all of us, being born into this class, after all."

Pansy had been seven at the time. Then, when she was eight, her father talked to her.

_"Do you know how the commoners drink themselves into raving lunatics?"_

"Yes, Father."

"You must never do that. When you fall into such a stupor, you are more vulnerable than even during slumber."

"I thought sleeping was the most defenseless occasion of all."

"No. Drunkenness is even more dangerous. Not only do you not know what is happening, nor who your allies and foes are, but you also reveal your deepest secrets when coaxed."

"Why?" Pansy asked. How can some nasty-tasting liquid do this to people?

"That is the power of alcohol. You may drink a glass of wine at fetes and such, but that is all if you do not want to become inebriated. You are at your most susceptible when you are drunk. I know that you would not want to spill all your secrets. When you're asleep, you can only be killed. But when you are intoxicated, then you betray yourself and others and leave yourself open to blackmail and public humiliation and shame. Such is beneath the name of Parkinson."

"Yes, Father."

Pansy would not want to reveal her love for Draco at any cost. It made her weak. Adults were right sometimes.

Her father and mother did not love each other, yet their marriage was successful. Both of them knew what was expected from them, and they had acted accordingly. They had given birth to two heirs that would continue the family tradition of neutrality.

Her father had been the one of the Dark. He had had trouble rearing Peter, who had married one of Narcissa's sisters. There was a 30-year age difference between the two of them. Her parents had attended school with the Weasley in the Ministry and the Curtis that married him, before the days of Voldemort. Before Voldemort even existed as Tom Riddle.

Her father had joined Voldemort when he came into power, and it was there that he met Lucius Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy, who had not even graduated from Hogwarts when he joined. Though he was a young man at the time, he was already notorious for being cold and hard and ruthless. When he was fourteen, he joined. And he knew more powerful spells than her father. He had been the best recruit and the one most likely to become second only to the Dark Lord himself. He accomplished that.

Her father had known that a marriage between the two families would be most beneficial. The Malfoys would be a good ally to have, and they were also prestigious enough for a Parkinson. Lucius had seen the same things and had agreed.

All that work had accomplished nothing, not since the previous year. Quite a hefty dowry had been prepared by her parents. Pansy had heard that Narcissa had married without any kind of dowry. No doubt hers was compensation. But why would the Malfoys agree to a marriage if there was no dowry in it? The brunette had heard that there had been a scandal behind the marriage, though her parents had refused to tell her when she asked, saying that they were not going to gossip about a family that they were allies with. Only Wizards Narcissa's generation or older knew the exact details. The younger generations knew only that there was a scandal, though what kind was anyone's guess.

Pansy could ask Draco, that is, if they were talking. But even if they were, she doubted that he would tell her about a scandal that involved his parents. The brunette could ask Vince and Greg, if she could ever catch them alone, which was hardly ever as they were always around Draco.

The next day at breakfast, Draco received an owl. It was a school owl, a big gruff barn owl. Pansy wondered whether it was from Potter or not. Draco removed the parchment from the owl and unrolled the scrap of parchment. Liquidsilver eyes scanned the parchment, and Pansy could feel him stiffen, though she couldn't see it.

Pansy leaned over Draco's arm, which was still holding the parchment, and speed-read the words.

_Draco Malfoy, I know of your secret relationship with one Seventh year Gryffindor. If you know what's good for the both of you, then you will meet me tonight at midnight at where you met him on Saturday. Come alone. Bring no one with you._

This was not good. Someone else had discovered Draco's relationship with Potter? No wonder Draco had stiffened.

Pansy watched as mercury eyes scanned the Great Hall. No one responded in any way, twitching, looking around nervously, there was no guilty motions at all.

She would be following Draco tonight, of course. After all, she had to see who it was that would dare blackmail the xanthochroid. And Pansy had a suspicious feeling that it would be a Ravenclaw. A Seventh Year female Ravenclaw.

***

At 11:45, Draco sneaked out of the Slytherin dorms without any type of cover. Before he had received his two Cloaks, he had walked around school after curfew, melding with the shadows. Pansy followed her love closely, walking just as soft on the stones. Both made no sound as they twisted and turned within the Castle.

The torches flickered and lit only the immediate vicinity around them. Some had gone out, leaving stretches of hallways with patches of darkness. The burning ones resembled little balls of fire from far off. Disfigured and contorted shadows crept from the darkness, and Draco and Pansy were just two more shadows in the blackness.

Draco stopped in a hallway that was hardly ever used. Pansy believed that she had only been in this hallway once before in her seven years at Hogwarts. _A good spot for them to meet,_ Pansy mused. There were only two torches lit in the entire corridor.

Draco stepped into the light, announcing his arrival. From the darkness on the opposite side, an excrescence emerged, slowly shaping into a figure. A feminine figure.

She was looking as slutty as usual, and she was proud of it. A black dressing gown was over her, the two sides open to reveal what she wore underneath. She wore only her lingerie beneath the thin robe, all semi-transparent and lacy. Heavy makeup covered her face. Her eyes were outlined in the darkest black in several layers, and glittery blue eye shadow was over her eyelids and the skin above them. She had outlined her lips in fuschia, and gloss had been smeared over her fuschia lips. _Like a porn star._ She had used blue mascara, and her eyelashes were barely distinguishable. It could only be one person—Turpin.

"Draco, there's nothing to be afraid of," Turpin said, voice dripping with honey.

Draco made no reply.

"Come now, Draco. Lighten up. It's only me. Here, I'll make you a deal."

Draco was still silent.

"If you break up with Potter and go out with me, then I'll keep your secret. But if you don't, the whole school will know by Wednesday. I'm so nice that I'm giving you time to think about this." 

__

Whatever. 

"I expect to see you here tomorrow at the same time, alone. Do not tell anyone about this, or I won't be held responsible for what happens."

Turpin stepped forward and cupped Draco's cheek, then leaned forward and prepared to plant a kiss on the blonde's other cheek.

Draco spoke in an icy voice so cold that it could have frozen the stone walls and caused icicles to form on them.

"Remove your hand, Turpin."

The hand fell away, and Pansy could see eyes flashing in anger before they turned calm. Turpin smiled.

"If you so wish, Draco. I will be waiting for you tomorrow." The whore blew a kiss at Draco, then receded back into the shadows.

Pansy left Draco to fend for himself and made her way back towards the dungeons. She became lost several times but managed to arrive in the Slytherin common room before Draco. Pansy headed to her dorm.

Her dorm-mates were asleep, Millicent snoring softly. Good. Pansy needed to ponder the best course of action. Something would have to be done about Turpin. Draco would never break up with Potter. He loved the bloody Gryffindor too much.

She herself could not do anything. It would be too easy to trace it back to her. Vince and Greg would definitely refuse. Potter would, but it would be a cold day in hell before she would seek Potter's help. However, Pansy knew of someone who would be willing to risk almost anything to protect Draco.

Pansy lighted a candle, took out a sheet of parchment, a falcon feather quill, and a bottle of black ink. The quill danced across the parchment soundlessly, leaving a trail of loops and curls in its path.

_Lady Malfoy,_

I apologize for disturbing you. However, I am in need of your assistance once more and most imperatively. 'Tis not for me but for your son. Draco has encountered a misfortune. We are both aware of his current relationship and its discreet nature. I have discovered that another has received knowledge of this perilous matter. A slattern, Lisa Turpin, Seventh Year Ravenclaw, has offered a compromise. She has requested that Draco break his engagement with the unmentioned above and allow her to share his bed, or she shall be forced to reveal the details of his association with the unreferred to previously. I solicit you to permanently cripple the harlot and relieve Draco of this most unfortunate ordeal. I await your reply. Please respond when you receive this urgent letter.

Miss Pansy Parkinson

Pansy quickly retrieved an envelope out of a drawer, folded the letter into precise thirds, sealed the letter with a pointing of her wand and a few muttered words, and slipped the letter into the envelope. The brunette wrote "Lady Malfoy" on the front of the envelope and the word "important" in capital letters under the first line of words. She then turned the envelope over and slid open another drawer, taking out a small box of wax that always remained scalding, due to a charm. The Slytherin carefully poured a tiny bit of the royal green wax onto the envelope, sealing it. Pansy then slipped off her signet ring and pressed it into the wax, which was starting to cool. The crest, a moon with an arrow shooting across it upwards, appeared onto the wax, none of it staining the silver ring, due to another charm. The moon stood for the Parkinson name and everything that came with it, the arrow signifying that the Parkinsons steadily rose through society, always gaining more wealth, power, and prestige.

Pansy slipped out of her dorm and the common room again, heading to the Owlery. The brunette navigated through the maze of dark, dimly-lit, and well-lit corridors. She was about to step into a corridor that was dimly-lit before she quickly retreated into the safety of the dark corner. The Slytherin peered from behind the stones.

Kyon and Lupin were talking as if they had been childhood friends. Pansy knew that Lupin only had three true friends—James Potter, currently rotting in the earth; Sirius Black, who-knows-where; and Peter Pettigrew, servant to the Dark Lord.

"You need to talk to Harry, Siri. He's been out of it more than usual. I worry for his health."

"You think I haven't noticed, Remy?! I've noticed, too, but I've never been able to find time to talk to him."

"He needs you, Siri. Go talk to him. You're the only family that he has left."

"I will, Remy, I will. It's my duty as Godfather. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do. You're the only other Marauder left, Siri."

So Kyon was Sirius Black. No doubt the work of Dumbledore. If only she could turn him in. It would be good for her family, more prestige and fame than ever. But he was Potter's only remaining family, and Draco would be absolutely furious if she did. He probably knew, too. Pansy catalogued the information in her brain for later use, just in case Potter and Draco broke up.

Kyon stepped forward and placed his lips onto Lupin's. Pansy arched an eyebrow. So two of the Marauders weren't just friends.

However, Lupin roughly pushed Kyon away and wiped his mouth on his shabby sleeve. Kyon had a hurt expression on his face.

"Do you never listen to me, Siri? I've said so before. No. I can't love you. I can't even give you a chance. I'm sorry."

"Don't you see that I did everything for you? I love you, Remy. Why can't you let go of the past and him?"

"You claim to love me, but if you really love me, then you wouldn't have done what you did. You sent him out, intending to have me kill him so that you can have me. But James just had to intervene, didn't he? So instead of him being killed by his lover, he survived, but not after he saw me. The effect was almost as good as what you had intended. He didn't dump me because I am a werewolf. He left me because I lied to him, because I wasn't sure how he would react, because I wasn't ready to tell him the truth. All thanks to you, Siri. If you really love me, then you wouldn't have hurt me like that. Do you know how much that hurt, knowing that the reason your lover dumped you was because your best friend betrayed you because he was jealous? And then, in Third Year, he found me with you. And because of what happened back then, he refused to listen to my explanation because he thought that I had lied to him again. He objected to me being on the staff because of that. I thought that maybe we could have mended our relationship, but that night with you, it only served to justify his feelings about me even more, how I was a liar and never trusted him. It was all because of you, Siri. You are happy now, aren't you, now that he's dead?" Lupin finished bitterly.

"Remy, you know that I'm possessive. You can't blame me for trying to protect what is mine."

"I was, am, and will never be yours, Siri. Remember that. My heart still belongs to him, even after all these years. Even though he no longer belongs to me. Even though he no longer loves me."

"What does he have that I don't?" Kyon growled.

"He truly did love me. You have never truly loved me, Siri. Because if you had, you would've learned to let me go." Saying this, Lupin walked away from Kyon, away from Pansy.

Kyon headed her way, and Pansy pressed herself against the wall, then slid down so that she was crouching in a small ball. Kyon's fingers touched where her head would've been if she had not crouched down. His profanity about a slimy-haired greasy git was so obscene that he would've earned enough Stupefys to knock him out for a week had he been in the company of polite society. Crass plebian. He should have been like her, giving up his love for his love's happiness.

Pansy encountered no more obstacles in her path to the Owlery. When she arrived, she found owls swooping around the place, their great eyes gleaming in the dark. Pansy looked around and saw her kite sleeping next to Draco's eagle owl, which was wide-awake and looking at his friend.

The prestigious families usually used the more nobler accipitres and/or falconiformes instead of owls. Owls were for the regular people, ones who couldn't afford or need such elegant birds.

Her family had a huge place to keep the birds, kites, hawks, tiercels, and falcons. Just not eagles, which were the specialties of the Malfoys, huge birds with large, spanning wings. Their birds were all neatly groomed and taken care of, the feathers in top condition.

There had been a fight between Great-Aunt Eglantine's dog and one of the birds. Great-Aunt Eglantine kept no owls but, instead, chose to hand-deliver her messages. She was the eccentric of the family. Once, she had taken her darling dog, Celerity, which was the exact opposite of the dog, along with her. The terrier was extremely fat and bad-tempered, adorned with folderols that must have cost millions, which slowed down his pace even more. The mongrel had somehow made his way into the Owlery, and he had been found clenching a tiercel's wing between his teeth, the poor bird trying to peck him in the eye, which Celerity kept closing. Great-Aunt Eglantine had thrown a fit and had pried Celerity's jaw apart, freeing the tiercel, which now had one limp and drool-covered wing and could not fly, at least not right then. She had picked up the extremely corpulent dog and had told them that she would not visit again until the birds had been taught manners. The tiercel had been one of their best birds, and it took him five weeks to recover. Pansy's father had gladly ignored Great-Aunt Eglantine's threat since Celerity would no longer be injuring their best birds.

Pansy gently awoke her kite, Etzel. These noble birds were naturally diurnal, but due to the best breeding, they could also work at night. These birds were of the best pedigree and much more refined than owls.

Etzel stretched out his leg and allowed Pansy to tie the letter, then took off, the owls making way for him. Writing letters were so complicated. As they were members of the highest class in society, along with the Moores, Malfoys, and once, the Weasleys, the most prestigious families, letter-writing had to be done in a specific way, along with many other things. The content of the letter had to be lexiphanic, with the fanciest words possible. Then, there was the formalness and the seals. It was so much easier to talk like commoners her own age, but she could not be so undignified. Pansy was a Parkinson, after all. Besides, Narcissa would be expecting her to write right. After all, the woman had been a Moore and was currently a Malfoy. Smart of her to stay in her social class.

The next day, at breakfast, a large eagle with light brown and white feathers flew into the Great Hall, landing regally before her. Draco, thank Mordred, had not recognized the eagle. The family did have a large stock of birds. Of course, it might also have been due to the fact that he was staring at Potter.

The eagle lifted its leg up, talons curling into a lethal grip. Pansy slipped the reply off. As soon as Pansy relieved it of its burden, the eagle took flight, wings almost knocking down Vince's goblet of pumpkin juice when it spread them.

"Miss Parkinson" was written in a flourishing script on the envelope. Pansy turned the envelope over. A sanguine wax seal covered the edge of the top flap. A mass of swirling lines covered the wax, faint iron chains binding a vaguely outlined heart underneath the lines. The chaos would trap anyone who dared to enter it.

Pansy eased the envelope open, cleaving the wax in two. She took out the enclosed letter and, sliding the handle of her spoon between the seal and pulling outwards, cracked the seal. The Slytherin opened the letter.

_Miss Parkinson,_

I responded immediately after receiving your correspondence. I have sent my reply with Aiolos, the eagle with the greatest celerity on the estate. I did not deliberate the verity of your statement. The promiscuous woman you speak of shall be neutralized. Confirm that she is not a pander. I will arrange the details. You are not concerned. Destroy any evidence that could incriminate. Your accipitre awaits your retrieval. Its burden has been incinerated. I suggest you do the same. Do not hasten and arouse suspicion. The remainder depends on your cooperation. Good day.

Lady Narcissa Malfoy

This was serious. Narcissa's words had been curt, meaning that this was an exigency of the utmost confidentiality. Pansy noticed Vince and Greg looking at her. They would ask her later. She would debate what to tell them when this tribulation ended.

Pansy slid the letter back into the envelope, then stood up. Breakfast was ending at this time, so no one paid the brunette any heed. She stood on the bench and held a corner of the letter up to one of the floating candles. The flame licked at the edge of the paper, and a ring of black and a ring of brown quickly climbed up the parchment. The fire engulfed the letter, and when Pansy stepped off the bench, a ring of ashes lay on the wood. Pansy brushed the black grains off, then slid the strap of her book bag onto her shoulder and waited for Draco to finish.

Pansy grew increasingly uneasy as the day passed. It seemed as if Narcissa hadn't done anything yet. Dinner came, and Turpin was still alive and well. Pansy knew that she was going to watch Turpin and Draco again tonight. If Narcissa failed...She would take the assignment of terminating Turpin onto herself, like so many other tasks.

Pansy made her way to the corridor after dinner and waited for Turpin and Draco to meet. She gripped her wand tightly and mentally recited all the charms she learned from that book in Second Year.

There was a nice charm that she could use to give Turpin permanent amnesia. However, the spell was very temperamental, and if she performed it in this emotional state, Turpin's brain would be destroyed. Not that it was a bad thing, but she was not going to commit murder. The Ministry would investigate such a murder. Asinine morons.

Whatever she used, Pansy knew that she would have to perform a Cleansing Spell on her wand, a very complicated and time-consuming ritual. Easter Break would be the only time that she could, and it was coming soon, thank Mordred.

_I'll have to borrow Vince and Greg's place._

Pansy was halfway through her recital when she felt another presence. No doubt Turpin. The Slytherin tensed and clutched her wand in a death grip.

Moments later, Draco arrived, half stepping into the weak light. Turpin stepped forward completely.

"What's your decision, Draco?"

"No."

"Then you'll have to face the consequences. You'll regret your choice, Draco."

Saying this, Turpin prepared to leave. Pansy quickly drew her wand and stated muttering the first charm she could think of, one that would render Turpin's muscles useless. The brunette saw two more wands pointed at the Ravenclaw.

However, before any of them finished chanting, Turpin fell over on her back, clutching at her throat. Her hands soon fell lip, and the eyes closed. Draco walked over to her prone form cautiously, then held a finger in front of her nostrils.

"She still lives," he said to an invisible figure behind him, no doubt Potter.

So Narcissa did carry through. She shouldn't have doubted the woman, not when it concerned Draco. Pansy began to laugh maniacally.

She saw Draco looking around frantically, trying to determine the source of the echoing sound. He turned his head and looked in her direction.

"Pansy?"

In response, Pansy stepped out from the shadows, the pale light casting dark shadows upon her face, making it look gruesome.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Draco.

Pansy continued her crazed laugh, which was bouncing around the empty castle, no doubt alerting Filch to their location.

Draco looked a bit uneasy.

"Look, Pansy, I know we haven't been on the best of terms lately—"

All of a sudden, the brunette started crying, though she was still laughing madly. This surprised Pansy herself. There hadn't been tears for a very long time. Her knees hit the hard stone floor with a thump, and Pansy knew that there would be bruises later from the asperity of the stones. Draco walked slowly towards her.

The crystal tears made tiny splashes on the stone floor, and they seeped through the cracks in the gray granite. Draco dropped to his knees beside her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Pansy..." he began.

And, suddenly, Pansy knew what this Draco was missing. The old Draco would have told her to stand up and stop disgracing herself, then drag her roughly away from the place. And though he would be cold and harsh, the old Draco cared about her and only her. The new Draco cared about Potter and solely him. And she'd rather Draco be cruel with her, because it was his way of showing concern. Warmness didn't suit him. He was supposed to be cold and unforgiving, not so weak.

The tears stopped as abruptly as they started, though Pansy had been laughing insanely the whole time. Unexpectedly, the laughter stopped, leaving a hollow ringing in their ears.

"I forgive you," she said, then stood up, Draco rising with her. Pansy turned away swiftly, the impetus throwing pale hands off of her robes. The brunette then walked away, towards the safety of the common room.

And years later, Draco would reflect that Pansy's eyes never completely lost their deadened look.

And years later, Pansy would dream about a cold, handsome, and perfect blonde boy with cruel gray eyes, a malicious smirk, and a heart of ice that cared about her in his own icy way while she lay besides her husband.

_______________________________

Apologies for missing yet another deadline! I had this written in four days, but I had no time to type!

Thanks to:

Talaquinn - Lolz!

14lordygee - First time anyone's said that!

Valerie - Thankys!!! Same here, poor D and P.

kokopoko - Hope this satisfies you!

The Merlin - Cliffhanger? Not truly. You should read some later chaps, they'll contain true cliffhangers. Thankys!

And all readers!


	25. Chapter 23: Hidden Ally

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nottemptation/index.html

______________________________________

Chapter 23

Hidden Ally

Harry watched Draco stare after Pansy's retreating back. He called out to his lover.

"Draco, get under here before Filch finds us!"

Draco promptly walked in Harry's direction. The Gryffindor met him halfway and drew Draco under his Invisibility Cloak, covering the soft fabric over them both.

Moments later, echoing footsteps rang through the hall as Filch walked towards where he had previously heard noises. The two boys watched the caretaker step into the light, then freeze. He quickly walked away.

Soon, two sets of footsteps resounded through the corridor, and Professor McGonagall, along with Filch, appeared. The woman's lips became a very thin line, and she spoke curtly.

"Argus, get her. We're going to the Hospital Wing. Stop staring, and pick her up!" she snapped, as Filch had been ogling Turpin's appendages. Turpin might have been the school slut, but even she was not desperate enough to seduce the nasty caretaker.

Draco and Harry followed the entourage and carefully crept into the Hospital Wing. Filch had laid Turpin down and was currently being ushered away from Turpin's appealing assets. Madame Pomfrey's mouth was pursed as she diagnosed the Ravenclaw.

Professor McGonagall led Dumbledore in moments later, the two stopping at the foot of the bed, looking on as Madame Pomfrey flurried about, paying no heed to the other two. Harry saw that the Headmaster's light blue eyes held no twinkle within them. This was bad.

Madame Pomfrey turned to the two after she completed her diagnosis.

"How is she, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"She's in a really bad shape, Albus. Most of her alveoli have collapsed, and she can barely breathe. The ones that have not are functioning at a minimum. Her blood vessels have clotted, and there's hardly any blood circulating through her body. And that's not all. Would you like me to continue?"

"Yes, please," Dumbledore replied.

"Three of the valves in her heart have stopped, contributing to the inadequate amount of blood. Her windpipe has almost been completely worn away, along with her esophagus. Her stomach walls are almost completely covered in ulcers, and there are quite a few different parasites in her intestines. Her liver tissue has almost been completely converted into scar tissue, rendering the organ useless. Her—"

McGonagall interrupted.

"We understand. Her condition is critical," she said in a taut voice. "Who would do such a thing? I haven't seen such gruesomeness and heartlessness since Lucius Malfoy cursed Alexandra Zabini and sent her to St. Mungo's! The best Medi-Wizards and Witches had been hired to cure her, and she is still in there to this day!"

"Now, Minerva, we have no evidence that it was Lucius Malfoy who did such a terrible thing," Dumbledore said in a placating voice, though Harry thought that the Headmaster didn't believe it himself from the expression in his eyes. And Harry believed that Lucius did curse Alexandra Zabini, from what Draco had said. Lucius was the type of cruel person who would do such a thing, obliterating any obstacles in his path that obstructed him from claiming what he wanted. In that case, his prize had been Narcissa.

"No evidence!" McGonagall shrieked, completely losing her self-control. "You know that Lucius Malfoy joined the Death Eaters in Fourth Year! And you know how unfortunate it had been when Narcissa Moore fell in love with him. She was such a lovely girl, with great promises. Then, she went and fell in love with one of the most deadly enemies! No doubt he brewed a Love Potion! How could she voluntarily fall in love with a Death Eater? Even if she didn't know, she would have known before the end of her Sixth Year!"

"Minerva, you know how love is! Love can cause enemies to turn into friends, friends into enemies, and—"

"I understand what you mean, Albus," McGonagall replied a bit more calmly, apparently recovered from her outburst. "But surely, Narcissa would have wanted to uphold her family name?"

"Narcissa made a choice. She decided to marry Lucius instead of making her family proud. She chose what she believed to be the better choice, and if she's happy, then so be it." Harry, however, believed that Dumbledore thought that Narcissa made the wrong decision, again, from the expression in his eyes.

"Headmaster, what do you propose we do?" Pomfrey cut in, ending the discussion about Narcissa Malfoy.

"Minerva, contact St. Mungo's immediately and alert them of the present situation. I hope that," the light blue eyes flickered over to where Harry and Draco were, "anyone who know anything will step forward."

"But who would do such a thing?" Madame Pomfrey asked sadly, shaking her head.

"You mean why." And once again, Harry was struck by the feeling that the Headmaster knew more than he let on.

***

"Do you think it might have been Pansy?" Harry asked.

"No," Draco replied in a sure tone.

"How are you so sure?"

"I know that Pansy doesn't know any advanced charm that could wreak all that damage. And she would not have had enough time to cast the amount of spells needed to put Turpin into such a condition."

"But then, who could it be?" Harry questioned.

Draco didn't reply, but he had a feeling that he knew who it was that saved him. It was most likely the same person that she had gone to the other time. But was his mother that powerful? And if she was, then how could Lucius not know of it?

Harry, taking his lover's silence as a negative, changed the subject.

"Why did Pansy say, 'I forgive you'?"

Draco shrugged.

"I don't know."

This was just another thing to add onto the list of Pansy's mysteries. Even though they had been friends at an early age, there had always been a part of Pansy that Draco couldn't fathom. Like why she tore off the heads of Harry Potter dolls given to her by Peter. Maybe she had known, even at an early age, that Potter would steal from her what she valued most—him.

Harry stopped the xanthochroid from pondering any further about Pansy Parkinson by giving Draco a kiss, the first one that he could enjoy after these past few tumultuous days. What with Turpin's threat, Draco had not been able to enjoy his time with Harry.

After meeting Turpin that night, he had gone to see Harry. And the Slytherin had told his lover about Turpin blackmailing him. Harry, of course, had been alarmed and talked about telling a professor. Draco had quickly convinced him out of the ridiculous notion. They could not tell anyone about their relationship.

In the end, they had decided that Draco would disagree. But they would not let Turpin walk away unharmed. Harry would be with Draco under his Invisibility Cloak, and he would curse Turpin with a Memory Charm at the same time as Draco. Their combined power should have been enough.

Little did they know, of course, about Pansy, who had been part of the whole ordeal. And just as they were about to curse Turpin, the Ravenclaw fell down mysteriously, hands clutching at her throat. Then, Pansy had appeared, with her maniacal laughter and cryptic words.

And now, the situation was even more complicated, especially once they discovered Turpin's condition. Pansy had played a major part in it, it seemed. But exactly whom did she appeal to?

When at last, the two boys broke away, Draco decided that he might as well tell Harry about Pansy and Narcissa.

"Do you remember when I had a disagreement with Pansy?"

Harry nodded.

"Yeah. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"I never did tell you the reason for our conflict, did I?"

"No, but I thought that it had something to do with how she spoke to me that day after Herbology."

"That's part of the reason. But...there's more. Have you noticed that Blaise Zabini has been withdrawn?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, frowning. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Remember when we found Pansy crying? When he nearly raped her?" After a nod from Harry, Draco continued. "I told her that I would avenge her. But she, instead, took matters into her own hands. She owled my mother. And Mother, being who she is, had to do something about such a shocking scandal. So she sued the Zabinis. And because of the disgrace, they withdrew their son from Hogwarts."

Harry noted that except for the first time, Draco had avoided saying Blaise's name.

"But what's wrong with that?"

Draco looked at him hard, as if he couldn't believe why Harry asked him.

"She talked to my mother about it without my knowledge," the Slytherin began slowly, "that's why I was angry with her. Because she did not trust me enough. And I believe she's done it again."

Harry gasped as comprehension appeared on his face.

"You're saying that she discovered this and then owled your mother about it? But why would she do that?"

"She did not believe that she alone could help me. And because of my mother's victory previously, she believed that Mother could once again help."

"She did the right thing, though, didn't she? Turpin's out of our way for good."

"Yes, but I don't truly believe that Mother was responsible for her demise."

"Why not?"

"I don't believe that Mother is powerful enough to do so. If she was, then Lucius would know about it, and their marriage would have been very different from what it currently is."

"But if your mother wasn't responsible, then who is?"

"The best way is to ask my mother directly. She will answer truthfully."

Draco held out the book that Narcissa had given him. Harry reached out to touch it, though Draco quickly stopped him.

"Don't ever touch this, love. Mother charmed them so that only she and I can touch them without receiving any harm, remember?"

Harry briefly recalled the warning Draco had given him when he had talked about his form of communication with his mother, the books. The Gryffindor nodded.

Draco took out silver ink and a quill and started writing.

_Mother, was it you who saved me from Lisa Turpin and her blackmailing?_

***

"Albus."

"Narcissa. Please sit down." Albus indicated a chair in front of his desk. Narcissa took the proffered seat.

"Why have you called me? Has Victoria contacted you?"

"No. I was hoping she had contacted you. We need her soon. The final battle is approaching, and we must all be there. I believe that she has found the last two already."

"Has she found a replacement for Severus?"

"I do not know. Even if she did not yet, she would not ask for help. You know her better than the rest of us, I am sure. However, I have called you here to discuss something else."

"Yes?"

"Why did you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Narcissa replied stiffly.

"Narcissa, there's no use denying it. Your magic has been found. Do you know the amount of damage she received? All her major organs have almost stopped functioning!"

"Wait. I only crushed her lungs," Narcissa said, frowning.

"But if you only..."

Stunned realization dawned upon them both, particularly Albus.

"Why, though?"

"Draco is important to her."

Albus knew that there was more, but he did not pressure Narcissa.

"She truly has not contacted you?"

"No. But she is back in Britain. She may have been here the whole time."

"Why would she not contact us? This is important to her."

"Do we ever know why she does anything? Albus, you do know that she is still a mystery to me, though I know her the best out of all of us. We don't know enough about her, and she prefers it to be that way. She is stronger than all of us combined, probably Him, too. She does what she wants to, and none of us can stop her. She is the leader of us and the most powerful."

And once again, Albus was reminded of the fact that he was not in charge, not when it came to this game. Victoria was a wild card, even though she was on their side, or at least, she appeared to. With her bitter history, her loyalty was very uncertain, making her a very dangerous wild card. One that he would not want to offend. He could only accept her choices and hope for the best.

"I'm sorry for blaming you. I should have realized that I would not be able to detect her magic. Why, if she hadn't come to me, then I would not be the "omniscient" Headmaster I am today."

"Your magic is the second strongest out of all of us, right below Vic. It enables you to know many things."

"Do not underestimate yourself, Narcissa. You're the third."

"And what good has that done me?" asked Narcissa dryly.

"Narcissa, are you happy?" Albus asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Albus could sense the blonde claming up.

"Are you happy with Lucius?"

"Yes. Why would I not be?" Narcissa responded in a stiff manner.

"Does he love you?"

"This is none of your business, Albus. I am privileged to keep my personal life private." Narcissa rose and started for the door.

"I apologize for my intrusion, Narcissa. Good day, and please contact me if you hear anything from Victoria."

"I will."

And as Narcissa left, Albus felt compelled to ask one last question.

"Do you regret it?"

The answer floated faintly to Albus's ears.

"It was my Test."

And Albus knew that even if it had not been, Narcissa would not have regretted her decision.

***

Tests, Tests, Tests, silly little things.

Dear Narcissa. Such a lovely girl, as McGonagall had phrased. A bit clingy but very strong when she needed to be.

Her Test was a bit too easy. Like she would really give up Lucius. Narcissa just wasn't the kind of person who would give something up after persevering through a hard hunt, and especially not after Lucius cursed his fiancée to make way for her.

None of them knew the amount of magic Lucius possessed. Such a shame, really. He was underestimated by them all, even Voldemort and especially Narcissa and Albus. Not that Voldemort had anything to worry about, what with Apocalypse Magic. Still, Lucius was not a Wizard to be taken lightly, especially with his bloodline, though he could never measure up to Voldemort. But too many people would still make the mistake of underestimating Lucius Malfoy. Oh well. If they made such a little mistake, then it would be a blessing to relieve them of their ignorance, even if it was the last thing they ever learned.

***

"Ron, will you really?" squealed Hermione.

"Of course, 'Mione. When have I ever lied to you? Er, don't answer that. But when have I ever let you down? Er, don't answer that, either. When—"

"Ron, silly, don't say anything."

And Hermione effectively stopped Ron from talking any further by placing her mouth over his.

***

When Harry entered the common room, he found Ron and Hermione waiting for him.

"Harry, Ron has something to say," Hermione informed him.

Ron fidgeted uncomfortably when Harry turned his gaze to him.

"Look, Harry, mate, I know that I've been a git recently, and...I just want to say that I'm sorry for abandoning you when you needed a best friend the most. So, friends?"

Harry sighed. This was just like Fourth year, and he knew that Ron was truly sorry. But these few weeks without his best friend, they had hurt, even though he had had Draco with him.

"Harry, please? If you won't forgive Ron of your own accord, would you do it for me?" Hermione pleaded.

Harry turned to Ron.

"I forgive you, Ron. I was going to anyways, though I was going to make you suffer a few weeks before I accepted your apology. But since 'Mione here asked on your behalf, then I really had no choice but to forgive you here and now. If you ever do this again, though, Ron..." Harry left the rest unsaid.

Ron blinked, then burst into a grin.

"Glad to have you back, mate."

***

The meeting took place in one of the towers after curfew. Harry, Hermione, and Ron arrived in Harry's Invisibility Cloak. When they arrived, they took off the Cloak and waited for Draco and his group to come.

Moments later, the Slytherins came. Draco and Pansy shared his Invisibility Cloak, but Crabbe and Goyle had kindly declined Draco's offer of his Merging Cloak and had, instead, came without any sort of cover. Draco had reluctantly agreed to take them after Pansy's fierce persuasion of their loyalty to them.

The two groups regarded each other warily, especially Ron and Pansy. Harry broke the silence.

"Draco and I thought that we should call a truce between all of us." Ron snorted.

"Ron..." Harry warned. "I thought that we should all shake hands on it or something."

"You expect me to shake hands with Malfoy?" Ron asked, horrified.

"Ron, Draco hasn't insulted you once tonight!"

"I agree, Harry," Draco cut in. "I do not wish to dirty my hands."

"Why you—" Ron snarled.

"Stop, Ron, Draco! Draco, you will be nice to Ron. Ron, you will not insult Draco. Understood?"

Ron gave a sullen nod, though he glared heatedly at Draco. Draco also gave his assent with a nod.

Pansy spoke unexpectedly.

"I'll shake hands with Granger, and that will be the truce."

Harry turned and looked at Hermione, who nodded briskly.

The two girls stepped forward and shook hands briefly.

"Malfoy, if you ever hurt Harry, then I will personally hunt you down and kill you myself," Ron threatened. He still did not trust the Slytherin.

"Weasley, if you hurt Draco in any form or fashion, then I shall have no choice but to see to your death, and it will be a very painful one, Weasley," Pansy countered.

Harry and Draco exchanged helpless glances, then ushered their groups away, Pansy and Ron glaring daggers at each other as they left.

Harry and Draco met at their spot after seeing that their groups were safely inside their dorms.

"Well, that went as well as could be expected. I'm just surprised that Ron and Pansy didn't start dueling right there and then. They really hate each other, don't they?"

"I really can't insult Weasley anymore, can I?" Draco asked sadly.

"You know what, love, you can insult him occasionally, as long as it's not too malicious or too often."

"Really?" Draco laughed. "Do you regret choosing him over me now, Harry?" he asked slyly.

Harry pondered Draco's question for a moment.

"You know, I think I do. If I had known that I could have had all this much earlier, then I would have chosen you. It's just that, you seemed really arrogant, and you insulted Ron..." Draco had opened his mouth. "I know that he insulted you first now, love. But back then, well, Ron was the first person to actually be nice to me. You had been really snobby the first two times we met, so I chose him. If I had known it would make you hate me...Like you told me, it must have hurt when I chose your enemy over you, my first friend...And letting you insult him now and then is the least I could do to make it up to you."

Draco gave Harry a sweet kiss for confessing his feelings, pinning the Gryffindor underneath him with the sheer force and will of the kiss. He then went to retrieve his book.

"Has your mother replied yet?" Harry asked anxiously.

Malfoy Grey eyes scanned the response written in blue ink. Draco looked up from the book bewilderingly.

"I don't understand. Why would she?"

Harry peered over Draco's shoulder to read Narcissa's response.

_Draco, I am not responsible this time. Pansy did appeal to me, and yes, I did take action, but I was not the one who gave her the amount of damage she received. The person truly responsible for her condition is Victoria._

"Who's Victoria?"

"Victoria is a cousin of Mother's and Lucius's. But what I don't understand is how she would've known and why she would've helped me."

Draco penned a reply to his mother's words.

_Why would she help me, and how could she know?_

_____________________________________________

I am back from my hiatus!! This chapter has been the hardest so far, as I had a severe roadblock after writing about Lisa Turpin's condition. I just didn't know what to write with Harry and Draco! But as you can see, I've gotten over that, and everything's gonna be back on track now. The whole schedule has been pushed back, but Part 1 should be finished no later than April. I hope to finish before the one-year anniversary!

Thanks to:

Cerberis - Wow!!! Glad you think so!

Prophetess of Hearts - I think you'll find all your wishes fulfilled by the end!

gotta B writin - This chap should clear all up!

araina - Too detailed with repetition? My beta says the same thing!

Talaquinn - You're not the only one! I've had lots of people tell me that! I thought a Pansy perspective was in need, but that'll probably be the only one ever, so you go back to enjoying H&D!!

kokopoko - Nope, nope, Pansy stays sane, at least for now. Might have a little surprise in Part 3, though I'm not supposed to mention it! Of course we had to have D choose H over Turpin, ya know! Just little subplot thingys!

ariesfire - You know now, don't ya! Soon? Sorry about that, hiatus is really nice, though!

airbaggy1 - As fast as I can? You got lucky, you read this just as my hiatus ended! Everyone else has been waiting for almost a month with no luck! You get to know now!

Anonymous person

And all readers!


	26. Chapter 24: Radiance Descending

Title:  Elementals of Magic:  Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary:  A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black.  A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects.  They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights.  I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication:  IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage:  

______________________________________

Chapter 24

Radiance Descending

                Narcissa stared at the silver words.  She blinked.  The blonde continued staring at them, not knowing what to make of Draco's words.

               She had promised Vic not to tell Draco unless the older woman gave permission.  The one thing that Draco ought to know, need to know, _deserved_ to know, Narcissa couldn't tell him.

                And if he couldn't know, then she couldn't truthfully answer.

                _Dear Little Dragon.  You were never mine._

                Finally, after much deliberation, she wrote a final and somewhat truthful answer.

                _How did she know?  Victoria has ways that neither of us can imagine.  Why?  Because you are important.  Dragons are always important, no matter who they are._

                Narcissa could only hope that Draco would accept the not-quite-so-reasonable answer because she could not tell him the truth.  And when she was finally given permission to do so, the blonde doubted that she would want to.

                _Vic would probably want to tell him herself.  That solves one of my problems.  I just hope that the truth doesn't drive Draco apart from me and the ones who _truly_ love him_.

***

                _What does she mean?  Why does she always give me such cryptic answers?  And why is Mother so distant sometimes?_

                The blue words confused Draco.  They were too ambiguous, and they did not truly answer Draco's questions.  The blonde had noticed that lately, his mother always evaded his questions.  But why?  Why was she so not like the Mother he loved sometimes?

                Harry peered at the answer from behind Draco, chin resting on Draco's shoulder and arms around the Slytherin's waist.

                "What does she mean?"

                "I don't know."

                "Your mother makes it seem like Victoria, whoever she is, is very powerful."

                "She must be.  Do you know that she won her Founders' Pride against Tom Riddle, the Heir of Slytherin?  He should have won, especially since he was an Heir."

                "Wait.  She competed against Tom Riddle?  Are you sure?"

                "Very.  I found a book that detailed all the Founders' Prides ever held."

                "But if she was, then she is the same Victoria that was in my parchment for Ravenclaw's hunt!  Drac, she was Voldemort's lover!"

                "I know.  My parchment told me the same thing.  And it seems that he did love her back, at least at first."

                "The thing is, Tom Riddle found the Chamber of Secrets in his Fifth Year.  That means that he had started turning dark already when his Sixth Year came, and that was the year that he competed.  If she had beaten him then, wouldn't she be stronger than Voldemort?  Shouldn't she be the one to defeat him instead of me?" asked Harry wistfully.

                "If she is, then why would she not help in the war against him?  Mother has not heard from her for seventeen years.  Where could she have been during this time?  You're still our savior, love."

                Harry was speechless.

                "I had a dream some time ago about Victoria.  Do you remember the creature that I turned into when I drank my Animagus Potion?"

                "Yeah."

                "She knows what the creatures are.  In the dream, she was flying atop one of them.  She came to Hogsmeade on a Hogsmeade weekend.  Coincidence, maybe not.  But she met Mother at the Three Broomsticks, and she knew who Mother was, though Mother had never seen her before.  They discussed about Lucius and whether he actually loved Mother back first.  Then, Victoria told Mother that she had something to tell her, which was the real reason she was there, but before the true reason was revealed, my dream ended.  But it must have been important because otherwise, my mother would not be dodging my questions about her cousin."

                "But what could be so important that would require Victoria to meet your mother personally, especially if your mother has never seen her before?"

                "I don't know, love, I don't know.  If I knew, I wouldn't have to ask Mother."

                "At least I can understand one thing she said."

                "And what would that be?"

                "Dragons are always important, no matter who they are."

                And Harry leaned into Draco and turned his head to kiss Draco, who had an expression of surprised happiness on his face at Harry's love-filled words, which had only been a mysterious answer moments before.

***

                The Forbidden Forest was strangely active.  Typically, no creatures were up and about late at night, all of them enjoying long-deserved sleep after a rough day of fighting and running from other creatures.  Except for a few stray centaurs, but even they retired after consulting the stars one last time.

                However, the Forbidden Forest was filled with commotion this late spring night.  The stars shone twinkling overhead, the most prominent of all Draconis, curled snugly around the North Star, which glimmered brighter than ever, guiding lost travelers and those at sea and in the air to safety.  The night was clear, no hint of a storm cloud or any type of cloud.  A waning crescent hung in the sky, the dim moonlight shining onto the dense forest, though none of its rays penetrated the thick growth.

                The unicorns clustered in a group in a hidden niche in the forest unknown to any others, not even Hagrid.  Their pure white coats glistened like the sun in the darkness, the beautiful thick manes brilliantly gleaming and their horns reflecting the moon, who looked upon them with favor, always.

                They surrounded their leader, who was not high-ranking by far, but he was their leader, and they obeyed him.  He was the oldest and wisest of them all, and the unicorns gathered around him, appealing to him for a decision or some cleverly chosen wise words.

                These pure creatures could feel it better than any other creature that there was change in the air.  The scent and feel of change was everywhere, in the air, in the earth, in the sky, in their pure coats, and no matter how hard they scrubbed and bathed at the lake, they could not erase the clear and distinct scent of change from themselves.  If a unicorn could not erase change from its mane, then a great change was befalling over all, and the unicorns would seek their leader for an explanation.

                The leader heard their words, their worries, their fears, their proposals, their rash comments, and slowly, as the each unicorn said its share, silence began to descend upon the worried creatures.  The unicorns could not read the stars like the centaurs, and they had no need to.  However, they, like all other wild creatures, had a natural instinct that could detect change, the instinct that humans had lost after many eons of living in a civilized manner and suppressing the inherent instincts within.

                The leader evaluated each unicorn's words carefully, then glanced up at the night sky.  He could not decipher the stars; all he saw were glimmering pinpricks of light shining down upon his land.  But a figure stood out, that of a dragon.  And he knew that he could not govern this change, that even the Incipient could do nothing to change this.

                He knew that the legendary First was the one who controlled this change, the legendary First that was the first to exist out of them all, even before the Incipient came into being.  And even the Incipient bowed down to the whim of the First; even She could not alter the will of the First.

                He instructed his people to look up into the sky.  One by one, the glorious heads turned upwards, and they all saw the stars as points of great brightness, but they could discern the figure of a dragon from the myriad of lights strewn about the black sky.

                The unicorns understood.  They all knew about the First, and they knew that the First was the one who dictated the change.  The First, who all creatures bowed down before, who obeyed no one.  She was the ultimate being.  None of them had ever seen Her, and She was said to be legendary, but they all knew that She was real, as real as each of them, as real as the Incipient, who they all answered to without question.

                And if the First governed this, then nothing could be done but to wait.  Surely the centaurs would be arguing and articulating about this amongst themselves, but unicorns were not centaurs.  They would wait for the change and see the results, then adjust themselves to the conclusion.

***

                Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, the centaurs held a meeting amid themselves, discussing the change that all had felt, the change that was eminent, that none of them would dare to upset.  After all, they had sworn to not set themselves against the heavens.  Besides, even if they did, this was out of their hands, as all had seen from stargazing.

                Firenze, however, was in disagreement with Bane, as per usual.  Many of the centaurs ignored the argument, as they had become accustomed to the discrepancy of views between the two centaurs, and the fighting was too commonplace to pay attention to.

                "Why do you always insist on helping humans?  They always believe themselves as high and mighty, but they cannot even sense great change, such as this one tonight!  All the inhabitants in this forest have perceived this, but the humans still sleep peacefully, not knowing what is to happen soon!"

                "If I don't help them, then they'll just remain clueless, like you said!  They need to have a fair chance, like the rest of us.  This time, I will not be setting myself against the heavens!  I will just be helping the heavens!"

                "It does not matter!  You must not increase the speed of the change or do anything to hinder the natural flow of events!  The heavens ordain it so, and you must obey!  Do you not remember what you did seven years ago, helping that Harry Potter boy?  His fate was written, but you saved him from it!"

                "And was I not supposed to?  This change involves him as well, and if I did not interfere, then this change would not have been able to occur!"

                "If you did not save him, then this change would not have needed to occur!  Firenze, you are a disgrace to all centaurs!  You know the rules, you know that we are not allowed to reveal the secrets of the stars!  We were given the talent to read them on the condition that we do not expose the future nor interfere in it as how we see fit!"

                "I fully intend to help the next few nights, when the dragon comes into our forest!  He may not know who he is, but he is an important part of the Prophecy that is about to come!"

                "You may not do such a thing!  Firewind Dragon prophecies never lie!  You are not needed for him to realize his destiny!  He will succeed on his own, no matter what!"

                "Yes, but how long will it take?  He is blind currently.  His mother has not deigned it fit to reveal to him the truth yet!  He needs guidance!  Without the proper help, he does not know what to do, and he will carry out foolish tasks that could jeopardize us all!"

                "It does not matter what he does!  The Prophecy will come to pass, the First has never predicted wrong."

                "This could be Her first.  I do not believe that She is infallible.  She may be the First, but even She must make mistakes some time."

                "How dare you question the First?  She rules over us all, even the Elder dares not defy Her for fear of Her powers!"

                "Stop, Bane, Firenze," ordered their leader, Ash.  He looked at them angrily.

                "Why must the two of you always disagree over the most trivial matters?"  Bane and Firenze shifted uneasily, being reprimanded by their leader in front of their peers.

                "Firenze, you do need to stop thinking such radical thoughts.  At least, keep them to yourself.  You know the ways of our kinds, you know what we can and cannot do.  Bane, you are older, and you must act your age.  Always arguing with a youngster does not bode well for your image.  Also, you have no right to order Firenze around.  I am the only one who is able to, besides his kin."  By this time, all the other centaurs had gathered around to watch Ash chiding the two centaurs.

                "We can all read the stars, and we know that a change has been set upon us.  All the rest of the creatures only know that the First is involved.  We, however, know that the Prophecy has finally begun to truly commence.  Over the last fifty years, we've detected the times when certain events of the Prophecy occurred, but this is when the Prophecy has finally begun to exhibit an effect on the world.

                Firenze, you know better than to question the First.  She has never prophesized wrong because if She did, all of us would remember it.  But She has never been wrong.  She is even better at reading the stars than we are.  The Prophecy was dictated by Her before the Granddaughter was even born.

                You know that even the Elder bows down before her.  All the leaders obey Her will.  The Incipient, the Elder, the Mother, they all obey Her.  She is the one who evoked this change, and Her will we must obey.  Not even Her own kind dares to defy Her.

                Firenze, Bane, I do not want to hear anymore of your bickering over this change.  The rest of you, return to what you were just doing.  Lectures are not excuses to watch two of your fellow centaurs being shamed."

                The crowd, after hearing Ash's words, quickly pretended that they had not even gathered around the three centaurs and went back to conferring about the change.  Ash chuckled quietly to himself before leaving Bane and Firenze.  Bane shot Firenze an angry look, then sauntered away, probably for some peace and quiet.

                "I'll do what I want to.  You can't order me around, Ash.  I answer only to the Elder and the First.  I will help the dragon when he comes," Firenze said to himself.

***

                Hogwarts had bustled into a flurry of studying in a few days.  Leading them was Hermione, who had started studying for N.E.W.T.s before she had even taken the O.W.L.s.  The Ravenclaws and several of the more studious Hufflepuffs had taken it onto themselves to start studying for the impending exam that would occur at the end of May, and they could be found studying during all times of the day.  During the meals, all that could be seen at the Ravenclaw table were open books, the books covering the Seventh Years' faces, and many others wondered how they managed to eat.  They had taken over the Library, much to Hermione's dismay, who complained about the amount of space they were filling.  Ron had, of course, tried to talk to Hermione about relaxing, but she refused to listen to him when he started on that topic, saying that she needed to receive as many N.E.W.T.s possible as she could, which meant that she had to study hard.  Ron had given up after awhile.

                The Gryffindor boys had agreed to start studying in May, which was not a very long ways off.  Hermione had badgered them until they finally gave in.  Thus, the boys spent all their free time joking around as compensation for the many missed hours of leisure in May.

                Hermione had even refused to go to Hogsmeade, saying that the novelty had worn off after four years and that she really needed to study.  However, when she arrived at the Library, she found the place even fuller than usual, and she promptly decided to accompany Harry and Ron after throwing an indignant glance at the Ravenclaws occupying her place.

                By the time April 17 arrived, even the Hufflepuffs had started studying.  Hermione had taken to studying in the common room because of the unwanted visitors occupying the Library, and she studied with a soundproof charm around her so that no one could disturb her precious time.  She did not even allow Ron to distract her, which resulted in Ron moping about and saying that his girlfriend valued studying and good grades more than him.

                The morning of April 17 descended without anything abnormal occurring.  No one made a big deal or a big scene out of the day the night before, in fact, it seemed that no one even remembered that April 17 was significant somehow, which was just fine with Harry.  He hadn't forgotten that all the champions were due to receive their instructions that day.

                Breakfast was noisy and raucous, at least at the Gryffindor Table.  The Fifth and Seventh Years at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Tables were all immersed in books, and they paid no heed to any occurrence around them.  Harry believed that if he and Draco were to kiss at that moment, which would cause an uproar, the studying students would just peer from their books peevishly and ask everyone to lower their voices so that their studying would not be disturbed.

                The entering of the owls was barely noticed by most students, so prosaic it had become.  However, Harry noticed that two owls went to Susan and Terry respectively, Terry's owl having to peck at his book before attracting the Ravenclaw's attention and Susan's owl chewing on her hair before gaining her attention.  He began to concentrate his attention onto the owls, predicting that he and Draco would each receive one also.

                Harry was right.  Moments later, a tawny owl soared down to him, a simple piece of parchment tied onto his leg.  The owl landed in front of Harry, and Harry relieved it of its burden.  The owl took a sip from Harry's goblet, then stretched its wings and flew away.

                Harry noticed that Draco had already received his parchment, and the Gryffindor opened his.  He felt like laughing, though, once he read the simple words written on the parchment.

                _Make a Love Potion, any kind acceptable._

                A Love Potion?  That had to be the easiest task they could assign him!  Until Harry remembered that Love Potions were forbidden, and he quickly stuffed the paper into his robes and out of sight.

_________________________________

Thanks to:

krazymelmo5385

kokopoko - Psycho Pansy?  That's a first!  Lolz.  Why?

Talaquinn - You're becoming a regular!  There's voices in the air?  Where?  No cliffhanger, nope, not yet.

Chocolate Assasin - Okay.  1.  Dumbledore does not know that the Prophecy exists, Sirius is not truly important except that he is hated by a lot of people, POV of Pansy only lasted one chapter.  2.  How stupid?  Indirect characterization.  3.  They do get mentioned, just when they're important.  4.  Not truly.  I drop them when I feel the time is right, though no one's picked up on them yet except you!  5.  It is, actually.  I believe the Dark is not so simple, but the Light is idiotically simple.  6.  Thanks!  7.  Thanks again!  8.  Thanks!  I loathe my first chapters myself, but back then, I was developing my style, so yeah.  9.  Nope, not that special!  The First coming soon!  Prophecy too!  A bit happy, yes, but wait till the sequels, lots of angst.  The love of H&D is neither, got a bit confused over your question.  The potion thing, glad you picked that up, perceptive reader!  Very very very very important later on.

ashita made – I dunno, I just went with everyone else!

Myr – You're reviewing my stuff???  Wow!!!

Tramill de Laxson – Vic coming soon!

LadyMalfoy182

chantalmalfoy – Sorry about the not a lot snogging, I just don't like a lot of fluff.  I wrote a chapter with a lot of snogging in it, which got me really sick, as it was too fluffy, so I revised the chapter and swore never to do that again.  Sorry if you like fluff!

And all readers!


	27. Chapter 25: Bound

Title:  Elementals of Magic:  Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary:  A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black.  A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects.  They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights.  I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication:  IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage:  

______________________________________

Chapter 25

Bound

                Breakfast was sullen at the Slytherin Table.  Half the students were not fully awake yet, and the other half was either eyeing everyone suspiciously or looking to see if Draco would receive his instructions at this time.

                The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were studying ridiculously, noses buried deep in their books.  It was like Granger had replaced all of them, the way they were studying fanatically, as if N.E.W.T.s or O.W.L.s were to be taken the next day.

                Most of the Slytherins could care less about O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s.  After all, their paths in life had already been predetermined.  They were to graduate and join the ranks of Death Eaters, and most of them will do so willing, as they had never known another way nor did they believe there was another choice for them.

                Pansy would start studying in May, even though she knew everything almost as well as Granger and did not need the prodigious amount of time that she had allotted to herself to study.  Draco would also start studying in May.  He had tied with Granger for all 18. O.W.L.s possible, and he was determined to make a perfect score on the N.E.W.T.s as well.  After all, it wouldn't do for him to be initiated with bad graces.

                The owls arrived with much commotion, though not many people paid attention to the event.  The freshness of it had been lost after less than a year, the owls becoming as commonplace as going to classes or eating lunch or listening to Dumbledore talk about school pride and equality for all.

                Draco, however, did not fail to notice two owls swooping towards Boot and Bones and having to employ farcical antics to attract their attention.  Then, to his prediction, two more came towards him and Harry.

                Draco watched Harry open his.  After reading the instructions, the Gryffindor quickly stuffed it away.  Draco frowned inwardly.  Was it another ridiculous task, as usual?  The only one left was Slytherin's, and he was not exactly known for his sane mind.

                The Slytherin removed the single piece of parchment from his owl and unrolled it.

                _Make a Power Location Potion._

                A Power Location Potion?  Surely no one at Hogwarts had such a perverse sense of humor.  Draco thought about what Slytherin favored in his students.  Pureblooded, of course, ambitious, definitely, and the will to break the rules.  Which meant that Draco would have to carry through with this.

                This was definitely biased against him, seeing as how he was a Slytherin.  They probably expected him to win this contest as well, so they gave him a harder task than the rest of the champions.  Prejudiced Gryffindors.

                A Power Location Potion was a very useful potion for detecting the disturbances in the fabric of time and other such forces or just for seeing where large amounts of power were radiating from, or actually, who.  Of course, talented Wizards would know to shield their powers so other couldn't detect the vast amount of energy radiating from them.

                The function of a Power Location Potion was not dark in nature, but it was considered a Dark Potion and was usually forbidden to be made, unless in special and urgent circumstances.  All because of one crucial ingredient—the blood of a unicorn.

                Unicorns are pure and defenseless creatures that never harmed any living thing, and to kill one is a sin.  Any person who did so would be haunted and tormented for the rest of his life by non-relievable guilt.  To drink the blood of a slain unicorn could restore one's health, but the person would be cursed for all eternity.

                The making of Power Location Potions was strictly regulated by the Ministry, and Draco wondered how Dumbledore managed to pull the strings for this, or perhaps he didn't even inform the Ministry.  The xanthochroid, though, had a strong suspicion that the Potion might be used for detecting Voldemort, not that it was likely that he would be found.  Voldemort would most definitely cloak his power, like all powerful Wizards.  Of course, he would be the scapegoat, the person to blame everything on if Fudge ever discovered that a highly regulated Potion was being made on the premises without permission.  It was too much like Dumbledore's style, to set things up so that others would be blamed, usually the foe or the obstacle in his way.

               Rumor had it that Voldemort had drunk unicorn blood during First Year, in an attempt to restore his health so he could return to his body.  If that were so, then he would be living a cursed life.  But then, why had he still not been defeated?

                Draco wondered how he was to attain unicorn blood.  He most certainly could not raid the Potions closet, not with Black here and Snape gone.  Not that it held any unicorn blood in the first place.  After all, the only known way to acquire unicorn blood was to kill a unicorn, and Hogwarts would most definitely not carry tainted blood.

                Lucius might have some, but Draco did not think that his mother would send it to him without asking questions.  And he would not dare lie to his mother.  When Narcissa discovered his purpose, though, she would refuse to send it to him.  His mother had morals, after all, but then good mothers needed to have morals.

                By process of elimination, Draco realized that the only method of procuring unicorn blood would be to venture into the Forbidden Forest in the dead of night.  If only he had saved the unicorn blood that he had found in First Year, when he had served detention with Harry.

                The Slytherin fervently hoped that he would not have to kill a unicorn.  Because if he did, then he would not carry through with this contest.  Draco did not want to be frequented by guilt for the rest of his life, nor did he want blood over hands for killing a pure and innocent creature such as a unicorn.

                And if he could not kill a unicorn, then he would most definitely lose, which would result punishment as he had never before experienced at the hands of Lucius, who would be most displeased.  The older man had won second place himself, and Narcissa had won first.  Draco would be expected to continue the glory.

                This brought Draco to another question.  If he could not kill a unicorn, then how was he to survive on Death Eater raids and attacks?  The blonde would most definitely have to kill and/or torture innocent Muggles, Muggle-borns, and Wizards like the Weasleys.  And the Dark Lord did not tolerate weakness of heart nor failure.

                This was not to be easy.  Dumbledore must have made it so that he received the hardest task of all, the one that would be nearly impossible to accomplish.  That way, he would lose.  And if he did accomplish it, then all of the staff would know that he was responsible for the slaying of a unicorn, and he would just be condemned for another thing besides being a Slytherin, a Malfoy, and a soon-to-be Death Eater.  Such was the unfairness of Hogwarts, arisen from House rivalries centuries ago that continued to this day and would continue on.

***

                Draco knew that he would have to steal the other ingredients for his potion, as Black would never willingly give them to him nor any other Slytherin.  Of course, if it was Harry, then Black would probably lavish him with extras, but neither champion wanted to break the rules and have the other help him, so Draco was on his own.

                The blonde retrieved his Invisibility Cloak after curfew and slipped the fabric on, then slid out of the Slytherin common room stealthily.  Hogwarts was eerily silent at lone hours of the night, though Draco made no footsteps as he crept in Slytherin Territory, towards the Potions classroom.

                The Potions door was locked, obviously.  Draco thought back to a powerful unlocking spell that could almost break any locking spells and cast it.  The door opened with no sound, and Draco was in.  He quietly walked to the storage closet and tried the knob.  Again, it was locked.   Draco cast the same spell.

                The door opened quietly, and Draco sneaked in.  The ingredients were arranged neatly on the shelves, alphabetized to help the students in the task of retrieving them.  This would be easy.

                Draco brought a bag with him, and he held it open.  The Slytherin carefully located the ingredients that he needed and placed them in the bag softly, muffling the clinking of the vials as much as possible.  He also tossed in some extra ingredients of no use so that Black would not suspect him immediately as soon as he took inventory.

                With the easier task done, Draco carefully tucked the bulging bag into his robes, then gently closed the door and cast a spell on the door that would implement the original spell in place.  Draco quickly left, thankful that he had not been caught.  Yet.

***

                Draco did not have the chance to venture into the Forbidden Forest until almost a week later.  His nights were filled with Harry, who did not seem to be too worried about the impending contest.  Of course, Harry was also known for slacking off until the last moment.  Then, Harry might not want to worry Draco with his own concerns, especially as they had not decided to tell each other their own tasks.

                The topic of Victoria had been dropped for now, and along with it the related topics of Voldemort and Narcissa.  All of them were mixed in a jumble of tangled threads that could not be unraveled, at least not currently, what with their lack of true and accurate information.

                Narcissa was in another one of her secretive and distant moods, the ones that Draco had always hated, ever since he was a child.  She was a wonderful mother, the kind that all children loved, sweet, kind, caring, and doting.  Yet, sometimes, she would withdraw from Draco and act coldly towards him, and these moments had always perplexed Draco.  It was as if she had split personalities.  But she didn't, which made Draco puzzle over it even more.

                Harry, though, was still the same innocent and sweet Harry that he had fallen in love with, the one constant in his life.  Their relationship had escalated beyond just kissing, not that neither minded.  It didn't matter who brought their relationship to the next level, all it mattered was that they were in love.

                Draco knew that he would have to "fight" against Harry in the upcoming war, and he needed something to bind them together so that he would not lose Harry once the bloodshed for freedom ended.  But Draco wasn't sure if he was ready for true commitment yet.  He loved Harry, but he didn't know if he could bind himself to the Gryffindor for all eternity.  Thus, for the time being, he contended himself to enjoying Harry's loving administrations upon him.

***

                Once upon a time, there were two siblings.

                Once upon a time, there were two people in love.

                Once upon a time, he left her for power.

                Once upon a time, she mourned for him.

                Once upon a time, there were two lovers who could not die until destiny had been fulfilled.

                Then, there were two rivals.

                Then, there were two people in love.

                Then, he left her for power.

                Then, she mourned for him.

                Then, there were two lovers who could not die until destiny had been fulfilled.

                Now, there are two enemies.

                Now, there are two people in love.

                And the rest has yet to be sung.

                And the rest has yet to be determined, whether the past will repeat itself again with these two as it had with the previous four.

                And the First is still waiting for the Prophecy to come true.

                And the First is still waiting for three of Her children to change into their true state.

***

                It was at the end of April that Draco finally had the chance to enter the Forbidden Forest.  The night was windy and quite chilly, the wind rustling the newborn leaves and making unnecessary noise to warn Draco of possible consequences.

                The xanthochroid shrugged his Invisibility Cloak off once he was deeply hidden within the shadows of the gnarled old trees.  He surveyed the forest lying in front of him.  The trees bent into twisted shapes, as if trying to scare any intruders away.  Thank Slytherin that it wasn't a full moon, or otherwise, there would be rampaging werewolves to add onto the ever-growing list of disasters to cope with.

                Draco cast a spell that would make a trail of yellow appear after him so he could retrace his path.  The last thing the blonde needed was to be stuck in the Forbidden Forest and discovered missing the next morning, which would most likely result in a long period of detention with Black after he was found.

                The Slytherin entered the Forbidden Forest carefully, hoping to stumble onto some unicorn blood while keeping away from the carnivorous creatures that would most likely eat him if he wandered upon them sleeping.  The Forest held a deep silence of slumbering creatures and unfathomable darkness that one could not escape out of.

                Before long, Draco had stumbled into the heart of the Forest, where no creatures resided.  All around him were seemingly identical trees, some as old as Hogwarts and some even older.  There was nothing but deep and unending silence around him.  And then, Draco heard hoof-beats.

                A centaur cantered out of the trees, heading straight for him.  The creature stopped in front of Draco and scrutinized him carefully.

                "I have found you, dragon."

                "My name is Draco, not Dragon.  And you are?"

                "I am Firenze.  Perhaps Harry Potter has told you about me?  I am here to assist you in your search tonight?"

                "Why would you help me?  Centaurs are known as reclusive creatures that do not associate with humans much."

                "True, we do not.  But you are the dragon, and you are important."

                "Mother said the very same thing to me.  Why do everyone speak the same words?"

                "Your mother would not say such a thing.  Come, let us go find the unicorns."

                The centaur, Firenze, set away, with Draco following him.  What did he mean by saying that Narcissa would not say such a thing?  She had!  Perhaps centaurs were a bit mental.

                The two journeyed through the Forest carefully, avoiding any foes that they might chance upon and steering wide of enemy nests.  After much time had past, they arrived at the place of the unicorns.

                Draco was astounded by their habitat.  The trees were all upright, none of them bent and gnarled.  New leaves rippled in the wind, the moon shining onto the pale green leaves.  And the unicorns, they were glorious.

                The moonlight bathed them in a resplendent light, making their pure white coats shine almost silver.  Their horns gleamed brilliantly, and their coats shone in the night, even more so than the moon.  Draco was awed by their splendor.

               A unicorn made its way out of the fray of unicorns and came upon them.  It circled around them several times, sniffing Firenze and Draco.  Then, it dropped to its knees in front of Draco.  The Slytherin quickly hurried over to the kneeling unicorn and helped it up, hands tangled in the soft mane, forgetting that unicorns were partial to females.  However, the unicorn made no resistance.

                It stood up regally and nuzzled Draco in affectionate respect and obedience.  Draco looked at Firenze questioningly.

                "He has acknowledged your blood.  This will be easier."

                Then, Firenze stepped up to the unicorn and whinnied in what Draco assumed to be the unicorn language.  The unicorn whinnied back, and a conversation occurred between them.  After a while, Firenze stepped back.

                "He has agreed to your request, dragon."

                Draco watched as the unicorn dragged his hoof down the trunk of a nearby tree.  A small gleam of silver appeared.  The brilliant creature repeated his act.  The xanthochroid quickly took out the vial in his robes and held the glass receptacle underneath the blood.  The silver flowed into the vial effortlessly.

                Once enough blood was collected by Draco, Firenze turned to leave.  The unicorn came to Draco and nuzzled the Slytherin again, then stepped back and joined the rest of its kind.  As he left with Firenze, he could hear the unicorn whinnying to the others.

                And the unicorn leader told his people that the human was the dragon in the stars, one of the ones that would be part of the change.  And all the unicorns bowed down to Draco, the dragon.  Draco, one of the many children of the First.  The First that ruled over them all with Her prophecies and her laws, even humans.

***

                The surrogate watches over him with love.

                The possessive watches over him with jealousy.

                The possessive will eventually steal away from him the one he most loves.

                He will chase after the possessive, whom the surrogate set free.

                And the Black Roses of Allure will be the beginning and the end.

                And the surrogate and the possessive will betray him for each other.

                All for the Black Roses of Allure.

______________________________

My Internet Explorer has crashed, which is why there has been a lack of updates the past several weeks.  Apologies to all my dear fans, and enjoy reading all the chapters that should have been out but weren't!  EoM will not derive from its planned schedule!


	28. Chapter 26: Paradoxical Riddles

Title:  Elementals of Magic:  Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary:  A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black.  A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects.  They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights.  I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication:  IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage:  

______________________________________

Chapter 26

Paradoxical Riddles

                May came too fast for Harry.  Hermione had trapped Ron and him after lunch and had given them study schedules, which gave the two boys almost no free time.  Besides a fifteen minute break after lunch and another one after dinner, the rest of the time was spent studying, going to class, sleeping, and eating.  Hermione had cut their meals short, though Ron and Harry badgered her nonstop until she gave them back their meal times.

                Hermione also became frustrated when she discovered the inadequacy of Harry and Ron's notes.  She had saved all her notes from First Year, all written legibly and highlighted precisely.  After much distress and scolding on the brunette's part, she grudgingly agreed to share her notes and explain them to the boys, who were very prone to falling asleep during her lectures, which caused Hermione to sigh exasperatedly and shake them roughly awake, all the while muttering about boys with limited attention spans on studying but could stare all day at a pretty girl, or in Harry's case, Draco.

                Harry found a way to worm out of studying by telling Hermione that he had to prepare for the last contest, Slytherin's.  She was surprised that he had already received his instructions, and she reluctantly agreed to give him Sundays to research in the Library, though Hermione threatened that if he was caught flying or not researching, she would make him study even harder, and Harry did not take her threat lightly, knowing how his friend was when it came to studying.

                Even the teachers had entered into studying mode, constantly reminding the Seventh Years and the Fifth Years to study for N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s, respectively.  Homework, however, was not lightened, and Hermione complained that they must have less homework in order to study efficiently.

                Even with his spare time greatly reduced and made to stay up until midnight each night to study, Harry still sneaked out every night to be with Draco.   However, even spending time with Draco did not lessen Harry's worries or tiredness, and he started to act mechanically in classes, though that still did not deter Hermione from alleviating his amount of studying, saying that if she could, then he most definitely could.  Of course, she did not suspect that Draco would usually keep him up until the wee hours of the morning, causing him to barely be able to catch a few hours of sleep before he had to sneak back into Gryffindor Tower.

                The first Sunday of May arrived with Harry greatly looking forward to it.  He gladly made his way to the Library, leaving Ron with Hermione, which was not good, as Hermione was especially hard on her boyfriend, and leaving Ron alone with her was really a bad decision, since Hermione acted like a slave driver in her attempts to get the two to study.

                Harry retrieved several books from shelves that contained information about Love Potions, and yawning, he opened the cover of the first book in the large stack, a result of the few but thick books.  The words soon became a jumble of disjointed fragments as Harry's vision swam from the lack of sleep, and he tilted headfirst onto a page about the powers of Veelas.

                The thump was received by a glare from Madame Pince, whose expression did not soften when she saw the source of the noise, though she did not take any action.  The other students in the Library all sent annoyed looks at the now sleeping Harry, then resumed studying.

                Harry saw a magnificent griffin in front of him, flapping its glorious wings.  It then landed and looked at him inquisitively.  A figure appeared by the griffin, the shadows obscuring it from view.

                The griffin then spoke.

                "So you are the Heir."

                "The Heir to whom?"

                "The Heir to Gryffindor," the figure beside the griffin replied, and it stepped into the light.  Harry made an astonished cry.

                "Dad!"

                James Potter smiled wryly.

                "Yes and no.  I am your father in essence, though only a dream shadow.  This is not my true form."

                "Enough, James," the griffin ordered, and James fell silent.  "He is not to know yet.  She will be angry if we jeopardize the vessel's plans and reveal the information too early.  The vessel will reveal all soon."

                "What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

                "Nothing that concerns you as of yet," the griffin responded, "though you shall know soon enough.  After all, you play an important part in the Prophecy, especially with the dragon.  She must be pleased that everything is going to plan, though the Heir of Ravenclaw has meddled too much.  The Prophecy never intended such extremes, but this shall insure your loyalty and his."

                "The Heir of Ravenclaw?  Who would that be, Dad?"

                James started to speak, but the griffin silenced him.

                "James. I cannot believe your impudence, especially considering that you were an Heir.  You know better than to reveal the names of the Heirs, especially since all four of them are alive.  You most certainly cannot reveal the identity of the Heir of Slytherin, as he is not who he seems."

                "The Heir of Slytherin?" Harry asked.  "I know who that is—Voldemort, or Tom Riddle."

                The griffin laughed, but Harry could not see the humor in his answer.

                "Am I wrong?" Harry asked, frowning.  "But that's what Dumbledore said."

                "That's what Dumbledore said.  An Heir trusting him so much?  He is like you in many ways, James.  Both of you believe in the Elemental Aether foolhardily, and you place too much trust in him.  But you do know that he is not omniscient, though he may seem like such, do you not?  He cannot see the Heirs with his magic."

                "But who could it be if Voldemort isn't the Heir of Slytherin?"

                "I did not say that Tom Riddle is not the Heir of Slytherin, though Voldemort most certainly is not."

                Harry blinked bemusedly.  What did the griffin mean by Tom Riddle being the Heir but Voldemort not being the Heir?  Weren't they one and the same?  Harry voiced his thoughts.

                "Don't be so insolent, Harry," James reprimanded.  "You are not to question the Initial.  In fact, you haven't even bowed to him."

                The Initial cut in.

                "He does not know the rituals yet, James, so he is spared for now.  Besides, he will think that this is all a dream when he wakes up."

                "Dad, what's going on?"

                The Initial laughed.

                "I wanted to see the Heir for myself.  The vessel hates you, you know.  She hates that you had to be the one, especially since you are already famous.  But she dares not disobey Her, and neither do I.  Treat him well, Heir."

                "Who?"

                A translucent image appeared, one with pale blonde hair and shimmering gray eyes.  Draco.  And as Harry watched, one of the creatures that Draco had seen appeared in a transparent form and wrapped loosely around the Slytherin, as if protecting Draco.

                "Draco?"

                "You call him Draco, though we call him by a different name."

                "What name, and what is that creature around him?"

                "You cannot know the name yet until the vessel deems it fit to reveal to you, and the creature around him?  You truly do not know?"

                Harry shook his head.

                "The vessel will have much to do to clear you and him of your ignorance.  But it is a dragon, a firewind dragon to be precise.  Do not think of looking such a species up in your books," the Initial said, as if he had read Harry's thoughts, "as they are merely a legend in your world.  No mere mortal will ever see one.  Only those deigned fit are able to see them."

                "But why?  And does that mean I am fit?"

                "Why?  Firewind dragons are very precious and very powerful.  They're no normal dragons, Heir.  And are you fit?  Yes, you are.  Even had you not been, you are now, what with your current affair with him."

                "With Draco?  But what is it that makes him fit?"

                The Initial chuckled.

                "A most foolish question, Heir, though you shall know soon enough.  The vessel will tell you."

                The Initial and his father started to fade, and Harry slowly fell awake to see Hermione glaring at him.

                "The common room was becoming too loud, so I came here to study with Ron.  You tell me that you're researching but sleep instead!"

                Harry rubbed the grogginess out of his eyes and stretched, then apologized to Hermione.

                "Sorry, Herm.  I really was researching, but I just kinda fell asleep."

                Hermione harrumphed.

                "And what did you dream about?" she asked.

                "How did you know I was dreaming?"

                "You had a really bewildered expression on your face, not the normal calm one people have when they're asleep.  Besides, your eyes were moving."

                Harry started to open his mouth, though Hermione interrupted him.

                "Do I really want to know?  You weren't dreaming about him, were you?"

                "Which him?" Harry asked bewilderingly.

                "The one you're with," Hermione mouthed.

                "Oh.  No, Herm!"  Harry's cheeks flushed a bright red.

                Hermione fixed him with a steely gaze.

                "All right, then.  Just get back to researching, and I don't want to see you falling asleep again, alright?  Tell him to lighten up and let you sleep for me."

                She left to join another table, where Ron was sitting at.  He pulled her towards her and started kissing her neck, though Hermione swatted at him and then pulled a textbook towards them, and Harry could distinctly see Ron groan.

                Harry skimmed through the books, and though they held much about the effects of Love Potions, there were no actual instructions on how to make one, which made Harry realize that he would have to ask Sirius.

***

That night, as Harry lay with Draco, he told the blonde about his dream of the Initial and his father.

                "At least we know that they're called firewind dragons and that they are very special and legendary.  But we don't know anything else.  We don't know anything about the vessel or the Prophecy or who She is."

                "The Initial said that the Heir of Ravenclaw has meddled too much, but I should be the Heir, and I haven't meddled in anything.  And what did he mean by Voldemort not being the Heir of Slytherin and Tom Riddle being the Heir of Slytherin?  It sounds like a paradox to me."

                "Do you think I should talk to Dumbledore, love?  He seems to know an awful lot about things, and maybe he could help."

                Draco shrugged.

                "It's your choice, love."

                Before Harry could speak more, however, Draco showered his mouth with sweet kisses, which made Harry forget about everything except Draco for the time being.

***

                The next day, Harry went to talk to Sirius about getting a pass to the Restricted Section.  Sirius, of course, gladly signed one without asking why, though he did trap Harry with an uncomfortable talk.

                "Harry, what's been going on with you?"

                Harry started.

                "Nothing," he replied quickly, though perhaps a bit too quick.  "Why?"

                "You were out of it more than usual some time ago, and I wasn't the only who noticed it.  Professor Lupin did, also.  And then, you and Ron had a fight.  I, of course, had to be worried about my Godson, Harry."

                "Nothing was wrong, Padfoot.  Really.  Ron and I just had a little misunderstanding, that's all."

                "Over what?"

                "Some little thing that I don't even remember," Harry lied, though he didn't think Sirius really believed him.  However, the older man chose not to pressure the Gryffindor.

                "I've also noticed that you haven't been getting enough sleep.  You have dark circles under your eyes, and you look ready to fall asleep all the time.  And I really don't think that Hermione would keep you up that late with studying, especially since she looks fine.  What's been keeping you up?"

                Harry's mind drifted to a beautiful Slytherin with pale blonde hair and stunning gray eyes and his mouth doing the most ungodly things to his body.  Harry could feel his cheeks starting to burn and quickly stifled his inappropriate thoughts with an image of Snape in a bikini.

                "Nothing.  I just haven't been able to sleep."

                "Do you need a Sleeping Potion?" Sirius asked, concerned.

                "It's okay, Sirius, it's nothing big," Harry reassured his Godfather, not wanting the older man to go to trouble over a problem that did not even exist.  Harry felt awful about lying to Sirius, but he didn't think he could tell his Godfather the real reason why he was so tired all the time.  Draco was very demanding, and Harry was not going to not satisfy his lover.

                "Have you been having dreams about You-Know-Who lately?  Is that it?"

                "I haven't had a single dream about him this year," Harry replied.  He hadn't even thought about that.  This was something abnormal, not dreaming about Voldemort and his newest plan to destroy the world or him.

                Sirius remained silent for an abnormally long amount of time, and Harry wondered if the should take it as a cue to leave.  Just as the Gryffindor was about to leave, Sirius spoke.

                "Do you have a girlfriend?  Is that why you've been staying up late?  You know you can tell me, Harry.  Is it Ginny?"

                Those words froze Harry in his tracks.  A girlfriend.  Sirius was becoming extraordinarily close to discovering Harry's secret.

                "Nope," Harry answered as calmly as possible, though his heart was thumping so loud that he could barely hear himself talking.  He hoped that Sirius would not ask anymore.  "I would have told you if I did, Sirius."

                "I don't know, Harry.  You might have been embarrassed.  But I trust you, and I know that you would talk to me if you were having any difficulties.  You know that I'm always here to listen, right?"

                "Of course, Sirius.  You're my only family."  _And Draco, Harry silently added._

***

                Later that day, Harry went to talk to Dumbledore about his dream.  Little did he know that Sirius had already talked to the Headmaster earlier.

                "Ah, Harry, what a pleasant surprise," Dumbledore greeted.  He motioned for Harry to take a seat, which the Gryffindor did.  "You haven't been in my office for all this year.  Perhaps it was due to your lack of prophetic dreams concerning Voldemort or perhaps your newfound responsibilities as champion of Gryffindor.  Now, what did you want to talk me to about?" he asked amiably, eyes twinkling.

                Dumbledore was still the same merry yet mysteriously omniscient Headmaster, which gave Harry comfort, as he was the one unchanged thing in a world fast filled with changes.  Enemies became lovers in a matter of months, and friends became enemies in a matter of seconds.  It was all in the timing.

                "Professor Dumbledore, sir, yesterday, while I was researching, I fell asleep, and for the first time this year, I had a weird dream."

                Harry waited for Dumbledore's reaction, but when nothing came, he told Dumbledore about his dream.

                "What do you think it means, Professor?" Harry asked, as Dumbledore absorbed the information.  "And who are they talking about?"

                "A very interesting dream, Harry.  You say that the griffin was called the Initial by your father?"

                "Yes, sir."

                "And they mentioned the Prophecy?"

                "Yes, sir, and how the dragon is important, whoever he is.  Who would the Heir of Ravenclaw be, sir?"

                "Young Draco Malfoy, if I am not wrong, but if Draco Malfoy is indeed the Heir, then I wonder what the Initial meant.  And he told you that Tom Riddle is the Heir of Slytherin, but Voldemort is not?"

                "Yes, sir."

                "Very intriguing.  Tom Riddle is indeed the Heir of Slytherin, though why would Voldemort not be?  Perhaps it is due to his transformation," Dumbledore mused.  "And you say that Mr. Malfoy has connections with firewind dragons?  Quite fascinating that he would be bestowed this honor."

                "Sir, what did the Initial mean by saying that you are the Elemental Aether?"

                Harry sensed a change in Dumbledore.

                "Exactly what he says, Harry, though you will know soon enough.  He mentioned a prophecy, also, did he not?"

                "Yes, sir."

                Dumbledore became immersed in his thoughts, and Harry did not know if he could ask the Headmaster another question or ask to leave.  However, Dumbledore chose that very moment to speak.

                "Harry, it appears that the Initial did appear to you in your dreams, and so did your father.  Though what they said is a riddle to me."

                "Headmaster, sir, who is the Initial?" Harry blurted, and he noticed that Dumbledore seemed to gain a tired aura around him.

                "The Initial?  If I am not mistaken, then he would be the very first of all griffins and the king of them all.  They spoke of the vessel, did they not?  I believe I know who she might be, and she is most likely the one who has all the answers."

                Harry felt lost.  Dumbledore had always been able to provide answers for him, and now, he was uncertain about his words, which made Harry feel that nothing was stable in his hectic life.

                "And who would that be, sir?"

                "Victoria York.  Do you know who she is?"

                Harry started.

                "Yes, sir," he breathed, and he hastily left, mumbling some excuse, so he could talk to Draco about this new piece of stunning information.


	29. Chapter 27: Love

Title:  Elementals of Magic:  Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary:  A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black.  A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects.  They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights.  I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication:  IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage:  

______________________________________

Chapter 27

Love

                Victoria York.  The name was beginning to become a nuisance to Draco.  Why was it that she knew so much about everything, yet no one ever saw her or knew where she was?  What was it about her that made her know everything?

                What did they know about Victoria York?  She had been a Gryffindor in her Hogwarts years and a lover of Tom Riddle, she was Head Girl, she was Mother's and Lucius's cousin, and she knew almost everything about the situation at hand.  She was fit to see firewind dragons, and she seemed to be the "vessel" who would reveal everything to them.

                If only Mother was in contact with her.  Then, everything could be solved right now, and there would be no more questions, just an abundance of answers.

                Draco sighed.  It was a good thing that he had kept Harry up every night because otherwise, the Gryffindor would not have fallen asleep in the Library during researching, which was no doubt for his task, and Harry would not have had the dream.

                Most Slytherins just lounged around the common room, though several of the more studious ones and the ones whose parents required good grades had started studying.  Pansy had gone through everything they had ever learned in a week, and she was going over them again.

                Draco took studying slowly and nonchalantly, as he knew that he already understood the curriculum.  If he didn't know any of it, then studying would not help anyways.

                Harry, though, was forced to study by Granger, and he was always tired, though that did not stop him from their nightly excursions.  He had very talented hands and a very talented mouth, though the blonde doubted that his lover knew.

                As N.E.W.T.s came steadily closer, the whole castle underwent into a frenzy of studying.  Even the Slytherins opened books, though most of them barely skimmed over the words before declaring themselves ready to take the N.E.W.T.s.

                May 28 had been designated as the day for testing, and the date was received with a bustle of nervousness.  During breakfast, many of the Seventh Years complained about how the test was mandatory and about other items relating to the N.E.W.T.s, especially as scores would determine their future, such as what university would accept them and what career they would be able to have.

                The Slytherins filed into the large testing room last, taking the only available seats in the back.  Some clever ones had devised a plan to cheat that involved the use of their fingers, and Draco admired their ingenuity with humor, though he himself would never need to stoop to such a level.

                The test was timed, and a total time of three hours was allotted for the test, which caused Pansy to go into hysterics, saying that she would never be able to check everything twice in that time.  Draco thought that the time was more than enough and that Pansy really should not worry.  She was starting to become like Granger when it came to academics, and Draco did not like it.

                After receiving their Anti-Cheating Quills and making sure that everyone was prepared, the test began.  Draco looked at his questions and could not believe how easy the questions were.  The questions did become harder as he progressed, though Draco knew all the answers.

                The Slytherin looked up at one point to see Harry in the front, flanked by both sides by Weasel and Granger.  He seemed to be in indecision and was chewing on his quill nervously and absentmindedly, which made Draco want to laugh at his naiveté, though he couldn't, of course, due to the warning that any noise would cause points to be deducted.

                The three hours could not go any slower, and finally, the N.E.W.T.s were over.  After all the studying and all the complaining, the test that would determine the rest of their lives was over.  Pansy complained the whole way back, saying that some of the questions were worded too complicated, which made Draco think that she was overanalyzing a simple test.

                A party was thrown immediately afterwards to relieve the Seventh Years and the Fifth Years, and there was much talk about the upcoming Initiation.  Many Slytherins asked Draco about it, though he refused to answer.  It was a family business, and besides, his father had not owled yet to confirm the event.

                The next day was a Hogsmeade weekend, and Draco had been greatly looking forward to the day.  However, breakfast dampened Draco's spirit and cast a dark cloud over him for the rest of the day.

                The arrival of the owls did not attract Draco's notice until his father's eagle landed in front of him, beak clacking.  Draco reached a finger out and placed it underneath the base of her beak, then detached the letter from her leg.

                _Draco,_

_                I would have owled you sooner, but I did not wish to disturb your testing.  I assume you did well.  I sent this with Artemis as she is very trustworthy and will deliver this important message on time.  The words below are for your eyes only._

_                The Initiation will be this summer, after you leave Hogwarts.  Our Lord wants you to be initiated earlier than the rest of the upcoming Death Eater and with good reason.  You are to perform a special task for him.  You are to be initiated as soon as you step off the train.  I will be waiting for you, and we will Apparate to our Lord's location.  Do not speak of this to anyone, not young Crabbe and Goyle, and especially not Pansy.  I trust that you will do well and uphold the family honor._

_                I expect that you will win the Founders' Pride.  Second place is unacceptable.  If your mother could have won the contest, then so should you._

_Lucius_

Draco held the letter to one of the floating candles and watched the flames devour the parchment.  The Slytherin noticed that many of his Yearmates were doing the same thing, which was no doubt due to letters of the Initiation from their parents.

                The Slytherin spent the entire Hogsmeade trip by himself, expressly telling Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle, that he was on a confidential business and that they would best not follow him.  A calculating gleam came into Pansy's eyes, though she nodded and went to find Milicent.  Crabbe and Goyle ambled away somewhere by themselves.

                The blonde spent the whole afternoon examining rings, something he was an expert at, due to his heritage.  Narcissa had taken him many times to the jeweler when she needed to buy gifts for her "friends," and he had been instructed on how to inspect them and figure the approximate value and worth.  The jeweler tried to trick him several times, though Draco was able to foil his plan each time, and the jeweler finally stopped once he realized that his customer was an expert on jewels.

                The Slytherin could scarcely contain his excitement and nervousness at dinner, knowing that he was to see Harry in a matter of hours.  It was time to see whether this had been worth it, whether this was true.

                Harry actually arrived early, which surprised Draco, as the Gryffindor usually could not escape his Housemates, due to his status of fame.  But he had, and as soon as he had entered and taken off his Invisibility Cloak, Harry pounced.

                The Gryffindor slammed the Slytherin against the wall and placed kisses over the blonde, and Draco did nothing to stop the barrage of love.  He then moved to the base of Draco's throat and sucked on the hollow, causing Draco to moan and realize that they had to talk before they did anything.

                "Love," he murmured, "we need to talk."

                Harry stopped sucking and tilted his head up.

                "About what?  We can talk later, love."

                "Harry, I received a letter from Lucius this morning."

                Harry stopped and stared at Draco.

                "From him?  No, no, it's not really happening, is it?"

                "It is, Harry.  I'm to be initiated as soon as I step off the train.  Lucius will be waiting for me there."

                "Already?  You can't yet!  We have to go to Dumbledore soon to tell him that you're on our side."

                "That's not our priority, love.  Informing him can come later.  But first, I want to know, do you love me?"

                "Of course.  How could I not?"

                "Harry, I," Draco faltered.  "Will you marry me?" he asked uncertainly.

                Harry gazed at Draco steadily.

                "Of course, love.  I was going to ask you the very same thing when we woke up, but since you asked first, yes!" he said happily and kissed Draco passionately.

                "I have your ring."

                "And I, yours."

                Draco took out the box and handed it to Harry.  The Gryffindor opened the box and let out a breathtaking sigh.

                The ring was made of gold and was a golden griffin with its wings fully expanded.  Two tiny rubies were used for the eyes.  The griffin was so meticulously made that each feather had been outlined precisely, and it was a gorgeous piece of art.

                "Drac, I…It's beautiful.  You know exactly what to get me."  Harry fumbled in his robes for the ring he had bought Draco, and when he found the box, he handed it to the Slytherin.

                Draco opened the box and found himself staring at a silver ring, a dragon etched onto the shining metal.  The dragon's head was arched proudly, and its wings were also fully expanded.  Miniscule emeralds embedded into the silver were its eyes, and as the light hit the ring, Draco could see pale blue and purple tinting the wings.

                "Harry, this is perfect," Draco breathed.  He prepared to remove the ring, though Harry stopped him.

                "No, let me."

                Harry set his own ring on a table nearby, and his fingers clumsily took out the ring.   The Gryffindor slid the silver onto Draco's ring finger.

                "It looks perfect.  When I saw the ring, I knew where it should belong, and I was right.  It's home."

                Draco smiled and took Harry's face in his own.

                "You haven't put on your ring yet," he informed, and he gracefully removed the ring from the box and slid it onto Harry's ring finger, reciprocating Harry's former moves.  Harry raised his hand, and the brilliance reflected from the ring was blinding, like their love.

                Draco, of course, had had forethought concerning the rings, and he took out his wand.

                "What's that for?" asked Harry childishly.

                "Love, you don't want people asking you about the ring, do you?  I don't think the words Draco Malfoy, marriage, and Harry Potter mix very well."

                Harry nodded, and Draco cast a Cloaking Charm on both of their rings.  Neither could now see them, but they could feel the solid weight of the metal.

                As soon as Draco put his wand away, Harry led the Slytherin to the bed and pulled the blonde on top of him.

                "I think it's time," he whispered.

                "So do I.  We need to do this before upcoming events.  We need to solidify everything."

                "Draco, you think too much," Harry murmured before capturing Draco's mouth in the most passionate kiss yet.  Hands came up to entangle in hair, and lips and tongues and teeth battled with each other in a heated duel.

                Before long, Harry had a bruised lip, though it did not deter him.  His hands started to fumble with Draco's robes, and after much effort on his part, as Draco was not helping at all, he was able to yank the robes off and throw them in some corner.  His mouth had already started sucking on Draco's neck, and a large bruise had appeared on the porcelain skin.

                Harry detached his mouth from Draco's skin and slid the blonde's shirt up and over his head.  The Gryffindor admired the smooth chest before attacking it with his mouth.  Meanwhile, Draco loosened Harry's robes, and pushing the Gryffindor gently away, removed the robes.  The Slytherin then yanked the shirt Harry wore underneath off, and he pressed himself tightly against Harry, mouth working on Harry's skin.

                Harry put his hands around Draco's waist and after awkwardly undoing the buttons and zipper, slid the trousers off.  His hands went up to caress Draco's back before sliding down and slipping Draco's boxers off.

                Draco rolled over, and with one hand, elegantly unfastened the annoying buttons and zipper and smoothly slipped Harry's old trousers off.  The Gryffindor helped matters by wriggling out of his boxers, and then, there were just two naked bodies pressing against each other, needing each other urgently.

                Draco peered at Harry from beneath hooded eyes, and Harry thought that the Slytherin looked like the image of an angel even before they were to do the ultimate thing.

                "Are you ready?" he asked softly.

                Harry nodded, and then, there was nothing but the rhythmic movement of one body.  And in the sky, Draconis shone brighter than ever, and all the creatures took heed.

***

                Narcissa removed the parchment from the owl and scanned it quickly.

                _Victoria__ will make her move soon.  Be ready at any time for her call._

So the confrontation was to be here soon.  And then, Victoria would explain everything to all of them.  She herself didn't even know half of everything involved in the defeat of Voldemort, and she was supposed to be the one who knew the most everything.

                All of them had to be there, of course, and there were three missing, at least to Narcissa's knowledge, though she doubted that if there was a problem, it would remain for long.  Victoria was more tenacious than a bull, and when it came to the welfare of Draco, she would make sure nothing stood in her way.

                Which was just as well.  Narcissa couldn't do anything for Draco anymore.  It was time to hand the responsibilities to whom they truly belonged to.

***

                Harry awoke next to a soft body, and he snuggled in tighter.  He never wanted to leave the bed and Draco.

                It had been exhilarating bliss, the previous night.  Draco was extremely talented, and it had been extremely satisfying.  Harry touched his ring finger, just to make sure that none of it was a dream.  It wasn't.

                Harry felt Draco move slightly before he cuddled closer to him.  The blonde held a childishly calm and innocent expression on his face, and Harry felt protective towards his lover.  If Voldemort dared to hurt that beauty at all…Harry would make sure that he would pay with his soul.

                "Is it morning already?" mumbled the Slytherin, and Harry pressed himself closer to Draco.

                "Don't worry, love, it's Sunday," Harry replied.

                Draco curled in even more.

                "Then get back to sleep, love."

***

                In the afternoon, the two made a trip to Dumbledore under an Invisibility Cloak.

                "Yes?  Harry, you are back sooner than I expected.  Mr. Malfoy, good afternoon.  Please, sit down."

                Harry and Draco both took a seat, and Dumbledore did not fail to notice that they sat next to each other without bickering or fighting of any sort.

                "Now what did you want to talk to me about, gentlemen?" Dumbledore asked.

                "Professor, sir," Harry began, "Draco has decided to change sides."

                "Is this true, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked.

                "Yes, sir."

                "And why would you choose such a thing, Mr. Malfoy?"

                "I don't believe that the Dark will win, sir.  And I have people to protect.  But I do ask that my mother will be relieved of all charges against her if I work as a spy."

                "Narcissa will not need your help, Draco.  I will personally vouch for her myself if she is charged for anything.  Are you sure this is what you want, Mr. Malfoy?  You will be taking great risks onto yourself, and if found, you will most likely be killed."

                "Yes, sir, I am willing to do this to avenge Severus.  He was a great man, and he deserves to be remembered as one, not as a greasy-haired git.  I would also like to be remembered as someone who helped, not someone who blindly followed his destiny.  I do not wish to be remembered as someone just like Lucius."

                "And you're doing this for Mr. Potter, are you not?"

                A flicker of surprise appeared in Draco's eyes, though it was gone as soon as it emerged.

                "Yes, sir."

                "I am grateful for your help, Mr. Malfoy.  I think it's time to initiate both of you into the Order of Phoenix.  Details about how you will send us information can be discussed later."

                _How very strange that both mother and son would betray their family for love._

***

                Narcissa looked at her letter.

                _Your son has decided to spy for the Light._

                She doubted that he had any need to.  If Albus had been correct, then Victoria would be here soon.

***

                Victoria crossed another day off her calendar.  June 13 was steadily approaching, and soon, it would be time to reveal herself to her son and summon the rest of the Elementals.

_____________________________________________________

Whew!!!  I'm finally done, and this is all the chapters that should have been out.  I sincerely hope that my IE will not mess up again, and I apologize for all the waiting!!!


	30. Chapter 28: Surprise

Title:  Elementals of Magic:  Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary:  A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black.  A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects.  They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights.  I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication:  IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage:  

______________________________________

Chapter 28

Surprise

                N.E.W.T.s were over, much to the relief of the Seventh Years, but that did not mean peace and relaxation.  Finals were on the horizon, and the studying craze continued, though it had become less frenzied.

                Draco found it very relaxing, not having to study for finals.  Pansy, contrary to expectation, did not study at all after N.E.W.T.s, saying that since she already knew so much for N.E.W.T.s, she had no need to study for finals.

                The week of finals arrived quickly, which left Draco with nothing to do.  He had already brewed his Power Location Potion, which was sitting in a vial in his trunk, and his trunk was protected with numerous wards to ensure maximum security.

                Slowly, the finals ended, and a carefree spirit descended over the castle, despite the war that was growing ever nearer.  Couples walked around the lake, enjoying the serene scenery.  Friends chattered happily, and every inhabitant of the castle looked forward the fourth and last contest that would occur the next day.

               Harry and Draco were finally at peace with everything, despite the events that would occur as soon as both of them leave Hogwarts.  They were content to enjoy what little they could before the two would depart for seemingly opposite sides.  As soon as Draco was initiated, they could have no contact at all, as it would jeopardize everything that they would be working for.

                June 10 arrived with no incidents.  All the other students chattered happily at breakfast, speculating about the nature of the task.  Many students believed that Draco would have an advantage, the task being that of his own founder's, plus he was already in the lead.  However, many others still believed that Harry could win, if he did spectacularly.

                As breakfast drew to an end, Dumbledore stood up.

                "Will everyone gather outside for the fourth and last contest of the Founders' Pride!"

                The pupils left through the doors excitedly, many coming up to wish their respective champions good luck.  Draco received his with a barely perceptible nod, knowing that they wanted him to earn the much deserved glory for Slytherin House, especially since Gryffindor had been stealing everything for the past six years.

                When they arrived outside, they found a table set up by the lake, and the four Heads of Houses and Dumbledore sitting in their appropriate spots.  The champions gathered in the front, facing the judges.

                Dumbledore stood up.

                "Will the champions please retrieve their tasks so we can test them?"

                The four champions turned around and walked through the crowd, which was now muttering amongst itself.  Minutes later, the champions returned, each holding a potion of some sort, except for Bones.

                "Will Mr. Potter please come to the judges' table to present his potion?"

                Harry walked up to the judges' table and gave them his potion, which was a screaming scarlet.  Draco scrutinized the liquid carefully, believing it to be a Love Potion.

                "Now, is anyone willing to drink this Love Potion?"

                Almost all of the female population raised their hands, eager to drink something made by the great Harry Potter.  Draco felt like laughing at the hilarity of the situation, especially as more than half of Hogwarts was already in love with Harry, himself included.

                McGonagall stared at the willing girls with a steely gaze, then turned her glance onto the Slytherins.

                "In order for the Potion to work, we need a volunteer who is not in love with Potter already."  The girls all gave a disappointed sigh and lowered their hands.  "Mr. Malfoy?"

                They wanted him to try Harry's Potion?  Like it would work on him, since he was already in love with the Gryffindor.

                "I do not wish to be fawning over Potter, even if it is induced by a Potion," Draco replied loftily.  Dumbledore looked at the crowd.

                "Is anyone willing to drink this Potion?  Professor Kyon has the counterpotion with him, ready to administer as soon as we have assessed the results."

                Finally, a Sixth Year Ravenclaw raised her hand and accepted the challenge.  She looked at Harry in the eye, then drowned the Potion in one gulp.  Nothing seemed to happen at first, then she gave him a dreamy sigh.

                "Wow, that was a really good Potion.  Would you mind if I asked you to tutor me in Potions?  Also, do you think you could teach me how to play Quidditch?  I've always been interested, but I've never been able to have anyone teach me…"

                Black handed Harry the counterpotion, who promptly handed it to the girl.  She took it all too willingly and drank it, and the next second, she turned redder than Weasel's hair as she hastily excused herself and ran back to the castle.

                "We award Mr. Potter fifty points for a perfect Love Potion.  Mr. Boot, you are next."

                Boot handed the judges his Potion.  Draco watched as Dumbledore poured one drop into a container filled with delicate hyacinths.  In the space of several minutes, all the plants withered and died.  Another usually forbidden Potion.

                "We award Mr. Boot fifty points for a perfect Eradication Potion."  An Eradication Potion, one that can usually destroy small forms of life in its surrounding area with one drop.

                Bones was next, and she, of course, was too much of a wimp and not ambitious enough to make a forbidden Potion.

                "Mr. Malfoy, please present your Potion."

                Draco gently placed his vial onto the judges' table and watched as Dumbledore removed the stopper and poured it onto a map of the England.

                The map did not become wet, though instantly, small dots began to appear, signifying more than average power.  Nothing big appeared, which would be due to powerful Wizards cloaking their power to obscure themselves from being discovered.

                "We award Mr. Malfoy with fifty points for a perfect Power Location Potion.  The winner of this Founders' Pride is Mr. Draco Malfoy, champion of Slytherin, with 195 points out of 200 points!  Congratulations, Mr. Malfoy!"

                Three-fourths of the school groaned, though the cheering from the other ¼ drowned out the negativity.  The Slytherins cheered for their victory and all the other victories that should have been theirs, including the House Cup in First Year, and they placed Draco on their shoulders and carried him away for a party.

                And as Draco was carried away above everyone else, he saw Harry give him a tiny smile, and the Slytherin's heart leapt.

***

                The party was much better than any one ever held in Draco's days at Hogwarts, and it would be talked about as the greatest party of all time in Hogwarts history by future generations.  The Slytherins had gone all out, with no holds barred.

                A feast had been laid out, courtesy of the House Elves, who had been all too willing to serve them, even though they were Slytherins.  The Slytherins stood about and talked, and many of the Seventh Years forgot about the upcoming Initiation.

                Draco could not escape to Harry, though he desperately wanted to.  The Slytherins surrounded him and gloated about him finally beating Harry, and even with the amount of self-restraint Draco possessed, he had to strive to not curse someone for the insults they were throwing at his fiancé.

                Then, there were the girls who congratulated Pansy jealously for having such a husband, and she had basically been forced to stand by Draco all night and shower him with affection, playing the part of the dutiful "fiancée".  Draco tried not to recoil every time she kissed him, wishing that it was Harry instead, Harry with his mouth on his cheek, Harry holding his hand, Harry cupping his cheek, Harry standing by him.

                Draco and Pansy retired together, saying that they needed rest, and many Slytherins exchanged glances between them, thinking that the two wanted some shagging time.  As soon as they were out of sight of the rest of the House, the two breathed a sigh of relief.

                "I suppose you are going to see Potter now?" she asked quietly, though she did not wait for an answer.  "Congratulations, Draco, and I hope all will be well with the two of you."

                Draco nodded, and she swept away.  The blonde retrieved his Invisibility Cloak, then went to meet Harry.

                Harry greeted him with a kiss, then pulled back.

                "Congratulations for winning.  I suppose Lucius will not be so bad now."

                "Don't talk about him, love.  We have three nights left to spend together before I'm to be Initiated."

                "I know, Drac," Harry whispered sadly.  "And how am I supposed to survive without being able to touch you, to kiss you, to know that you're here and not dead by Voldemort's hand?  I can't live without you, Draco."

                "And neither can I without you, Harry.  If any interference is to be done, as your dreams indicate, then let it be done now, before we are both hardened men with stone hearts.  Because once it starts, it'll take more than a miracle to stop everything.  Fate herself will have to change our destinies to save us."

                "Drac, promise me that no matter what, you'll never forget me, alright?"

                "Harry, you are not going to be the martyr.  I refuse to allow you to sacrifice yourself for everyone else.  Everyone may have drilled the concept into your head, but you don't have to believe them."

                "Do you expect me to watch as all of my friends and numerous other people die because I refused to save them?  Do you think I could live with it?"

                "Do you think I could watch as you sacrifice yourself to save everyone else?  Do you know what that would do to me?"

                Harry pressed his finger against Draco's lips.

                "Let's not talk about this, love.  We don't have much time left, and let's enjoy all that we can before we have to separate."

***

                When it came to where he should stay after Hogwarts, Harry found himself at a standstill.  He needed to stay close to Hogwarts, of course, though he would be pushing it if he stayed in the castle.  The Gryffindor did not want to stay with Ron, as he would be intruding on the hospitality of the Weasleys once again.  Finally, he hit upon the twins.  They lived in London and would be quite glad to have company, at least in Harry's mind.

                Harry told Draco, who basically shrugged, though he did say that he would most likely write to him or have Pansy redirect letters for him.  After all, the xanthochroid couldn't be too careful when it came to writing to Harry.

                Hermione had opted to stay with Ron, and the redhead secretly told Harry that he was thinking about asking the brunette to marry him.  Harry congratulated Ron, saying that Hermione would most definitely be thrilled.  Ron, however, worried that the war would get in the way, and Harry could do nothing to appease his best friend's doubts.  He definitely did not mention that maybe they should marry soon, just in case one of them died during the war.

                Harry's last nights with Draco were intimately sweet and touching, and Harry could not imagine how he would live separated from Draco and having to pretend that Draco was his enemy when all he wanted was to snog the blonde senseless.  And in battle…how could he even raise his wand and curse his lover?

                The marks for finals were out on June 12, and Hermione complained endlessly that Draco had beaten her by one point in Charms with a 141%.  Scores for N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s were to be mailed several weeks into summer, and most of the student population was happy, particularly the Seventh Years, who had finally graduated.

                Harry, though, was gloomy, as this was the last night he would be able to spend with Draco.  And the night was gone too quick.  The next morning, he awoke to find Draco already gone, and Harry knew that everything that he had been dreading had finally and truly started.

                The Gryffindor packed his stuff slowly, reluctant to leave the castle and his friends, but most of all, Draco.  However, the time came too soon, and he was in a horseless carriage with Ron and Hermione, speeding towards the train station.

                The train ride back was silent.  Hermione and Ron cuddled up with each other and looked sadly back at Hogwarts, and when the castle was out of sight, Harry.  Harry stared into thin air while his mind thought of the most beautiful blonde he had ever met and loved.

                Arrival onto Platform 9¾ was filled with tears as friends bade farewell to each other.  Harry saw Draco walk resolutely and determined towards a tall figure topped with pale golden hair, and in the next moment, they were gone.  Draco was gone, gone to be Initiated, and then, he would carry out his special task, whatever it was.

                Mrs. Weasley came to pick Ron, Ginny, and Hermione up, and she gave Harry a motherly hug.  Ron also gave him a hug awkwardly, and Hermione pecked him on the cheek.  They walked through the barrier into the Muggle world, and Harry noticed that all of them had a hint of sadness in their eyes.

                Harry walked through the barrier and lounged around, not willing to leave.  Many people bade him farewell, though no one else took any notice of him.  Finally, after almost everyone was gone, Harry prepared to leave King's Cross Station, but someone stepped in front of him.

                "Mr. Potter, I see that you are still alive and none the worse for wear."

                Harry stopped at the familiar voice.

                "Professor Snape?" he asked in a ridiculous tone.

                The man in front of him pulled his hood back a tiny bit, and Harry could distinctly see the hooked nose, the sallow face, and the greasy hair.

                "You—you're alive?!" he sputtered.

                "Be quiet, Potter.  I don't need to attract unwanted attention," Snape hissed, though Harry ignored his remark.

                "Why didn't you tell Dumbledore that you were still alive?  How are you alive?  What have you been doing?"

                "Potter, if I had contacted Dumbledore, the information would have reached You-Know-Who, and if he knew that I was still alive, then I would not be able to survive."

                "Then why are you here, exposing yourself to the public?"

                "Because, Potter, I have something that could aid you in destroying the Dark Lord."

                "What?"

                "A rare artifact, Potter.  I could not have brought it along, as it is too rare and too valuable.  I insist that you come with me to retrieve the object, Potter."

                "Now?  I have to go find the Weasley twins and drop off my stuff."

                "You can floo to Diagon Alley from my home, Potter.  This is urgent.  If you don't take up on this offer, then I will leave right now."

                "I will," Harry replied.  He did not want to go with Snape, but if what he said was true, then the war could be ended before it even started.

                "I'm glad you agreed, Potter."  Snape led them to a red Toyota Corolla, and after putting Harry's trunk in the back and putting Hedwig in the back seat, he drove off with Harry sitting by him in the front.

                The car ride was silent and awkward, and Harry found himself starting to doze off after several hours of staring out the window at the scenery, which did not seem to change the whole time.  It was trees, trees, and more trees.

                "Where are we going?" he asked.

                "Not far now, Potter," Snape replied.

                Finally, Harry felt the car jerk to a stop, and he groggily opened his eyes.  They were in front of a large house, and Harry felt the hairs on the back of neck rising.  He felt as if he had been at this place before, though he could not recollect when.

                Then, the doors opened, and Harry's heart dropped.  Wizards that he recognized as Death Eaters streamed from the doors, and as Harry fumbled for his wand, he heard Snape calmly say one single word.

                "_Stupefy!_"  And all went black.

***

                Victoria calmly stepped out of her self-induced reclusion.  The sun shone brightly, and her mood darkened at the joviality of the world around her.  She was here to fight a war, not to pretend that everything was fine, like Dumbledore.

                In her mind, Victoria thought the words Riddle House, and moments later, she Speeded to the once glorious house.  The most advanced from of Speeding, but then, she needed to prepare.  Victoria clasped her necklace, then cast a shield around herself.

                A few Death Eaters loitered outside, though they immediately started to throw spells at her when they saw her.  The curses bounced off the shield, and Victoria walked steadily towards the one that was standing at the door.

                "I am here to see your Lord."

___________________________________________

Thanks to:

Talaquinn – Sirius will know someday, of course.  Smut?  Nah.  True Allegiance has the real smut, since it's rated NC-17.

airbaggy1 - Thanks!!!  I got Windows XP and a new IE, so no worries now.  Sorry that I've been slacking off, but English has been way too much for me.  I have a 4-part project due at the end of this month.

chantalmalfoy – Aww!!!  I don't like too much fluff, but thanks!!!!  I know, it was very cute!

hurrayfortoilets – I can understand, but then, there needs to be mystery.

floramorada – Thanks!!!!

Amethyst Angel – I know!!!  But it will be complete soon, trust me.  About 5 or so chapters, to go, I believe.  Yep, finally intimacy!!!!

Aurora_Angel – Thanks!!!  It's a really big project due at the end of the month, 4 parts!!  Between writing this, another fic, and English, I have no time left, and English is at the top of my priorities, with this second.

And all readers!


	31. Interlude: Smiling Faces and Broken Pie...

Title:  Elementals of Magic:  Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary:  A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black.  A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects.  They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights.  I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication:  IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage:  

______________________________________

Interlude

Smiling Faces and Broken Pieces

                Draco was supposed to write.  He still hadn't.  Pansy was becoming impatient from his lack of correspondence.

                She had sent several letters to Malfoy Manor, and each time, Narcissa replied back, saying that Draco was not there and that she had placed the letters in his room so he can access them as soon as he returns.  She did not specify a date or a time for a return, and Pansy did not like it.

                She was definitely not writing to Potter.  The Weasel twins would most likely burn her letter up when they saw who it was from, or else read it and then change the content of the message.  At the very least, they would be confused about the message and confront Potter about it, and Pansy did not need complications.

                It's been five days.  Five days of waiting for Draco's correspondence, the ones that never came.  The Sun Room had been inhabited every day by ceaseless pacing.  Mother and Father were gone, Father at wherever the Death Eaters gathered and Mother in Germany, visiting a distant member of the family.

                The silence of Parkinson Manor had never bothered Pansy until now.  The House Elves were nowhere in sight, the way good House Elves were.  But there was nothing to stop the silence, and Pansy could hear her own breathing wherever she went.  The sounds of her soft footsteps amidst total silence were disturbing, and Pansy did not like it.

                She would not dare contact Vince and Greg, as it would most definitely arouse suspicion, though they were most likely the ones who knew almost everything.  Without being able to contact anyone, it was as if she had been sequestered from outside life, forced to live in a mansion with nothing to do and nothing to enjoy.

                Being outside was no better than staying in secluded silence.  Outside, there were cheerful noises everywhere, which did not mesh with Pansy's mood well.  The sweet chirping of the birds and the happy humming of the bees made Pansy want to curse them away.

                At the end of five days, Pansy felt like she was going insane.  The silence and the solitude were like weights on her mind that refused to lift, and she knew that she had to leave the house before she suffocated from the silence.

                Having already passed her Apparation exam the previous summer, Pansy Apparated out of the estate, as the wards were set so that she, Father, and Mother could Apparate directly out or in.  Peter had been removed as he was now on the other side, plus he was no longer truly a member of their family.

                Diagon Alley was a bustle of cheerful voices and faces, as the Wizarding world pretended to itself that the war was not coming anytime soon.  People smiled and laughed, and friends and lovers sat outside, enjoying the beauty of nature.  Pansy felt like cursing all of the morons for being happy when she was not.

                Draco was the cause of all her misery, just as she had always known, ever since she fell in love with him.  He was like a child, hard to get rid of and even harder to truly forget.  If only she had never met him, if only she had been engaged to some other aristocrat.  But wishing for what could never be was only for fools, and Pansy was only a fool when it came to love, which was too much in her standards.

                Pansy found her way to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, which held a huge crowd within its doors.  The Weasleys were well on their way to regaining their aristocratic status, and Pansy did not like it.  Weasley blood had been tainted too much in the generations, and they were no longer fit for true Pureblood status.

                Feeling mildly inquisitive, Pansy entered the shop.  Many school-aged children were crowding around the displays, dissecting the products and deciding the best ones to use on other unsuspecting schoolmates.  If only she could still be that carefree and not worry about the war, but Pansy was a Parkinson, and Parkinsons were not so lucky, especially not her family.  Peter could sit snugly at Alluring Zephyr, but she could not.

                The Weasel twins ran the main branch of their shop, and one stood behind the counter while the other helped the customers, oftentimes introducing more products to the unsuspecting children.  Pansy had to hide a smile.  They did know how to run their business after all, but then, they were the Weasel twins, the most mischievous pair of pranksters to plague Hogwarts since James Potter and Sirius Black.

                Pansy wandered around the store and couldn't help admiring the clever ingenuity of their brains.  She would've bought some of the items had she not been a Parkinson and not allowed to indulge in silly, childish toys.

                Several times, the advertiser started towards her, though each time, some child pulled him away, much to Pansy's relief.  She did not need for them to make a big scene, as her parents would most definitely not be pleased.

                Finally, the twins called out to the crowd that it was time for the store to close.  A long line queued at the counter, and Pansy found it strange that she had not see Potter at all this whole time.  Shouldn't he be in the shop or at least coming to the shop when it closed?

                Slowly, the satisfied children left in groups, and Pansy saw the one at the counter heave a sigh of relief.  When the last customer left, the other twin came up to her.

                "I would like to know why you've been here this whole time and why you haven't left."

                The one at the counter looked up at her, and a frown immediately crossed his face.

                "Aren't you the girl who hangs around with Malfoy?" he asked.

                The other (and cuter) one looked at her with surprise.  "Are you?"

                "Yes, I am," Pansy said proudly, and she lifted her chin.

                "Then get out of this shop.  No Slytherins allowed, especially ones that hang around with Malfoy scum," the not-as-cute one spat.

                The one by her side turned to his brother.  "I doubt she would come here for a social visit, Fred.  Do you have something important to say?" he asked.  So the cuter one was George.  How funny that their looks spoke volumes about their personalities.

                "Yes, I do.  I would like to speak with Potter, if you don't mind."

                "Harry?" George asked bemusedly.  "We haven't seen him at all this year.  Why?"

                Pansy's heart dropped, and her vision began to swim.

                "You mean he is not here, with the two of you?"

                "Is he supposed to be?" George asked, worried.

                No, what she was thinking did not happen.  It could not have happened.  Potter had so many charms on him that he could not possibly be kidnapped by You-Know-Who.  Morgan.  No.

                "Are you alright?" George asked, concerned.

                "He—he was supposed to be living with you.  He was supposed to come here right after he stepped off the train," she whispered.

                The twins exchanged a glance.

                "But we haven't seen him at all.  Do you think—" Fred began.

                "That You-Know-Who got Harry?" George finished.

                The next thing Pansy knew, Fred had bolted from behind the counter.  George followed his twin out the door, and Pansy walked out behind them, feeling numb.  If Potter had been captured, then she had no future.  Draco would be caught surely, and so would Vince and Greg.  All her friends would be gone.  There would be no use for her to continue living.

                Once she was outside, Pansy found that everything was becoming a big blur.  She thought she saw two mops of red, but then, Pansy did something that she vowed she would never do.  She fainted.

***

                Pansy found herself surrounded by warmth.  Where was she?  She opened her eyes to see blue, and everything came rushing back.

                She pushed herself up and found George sitting by her.

                "You're up," he stated.  Pansy struggled to free herself, though he placed a hand over hers.  Pansy recoiled from the kind touch.

                "Why am I here?" she asked.

                George smiled wryly.

                "Like I was going to leave you in the streets.  Your parents would raise an uproar, and besides, I couldn't just leave like nothing had happened."

                "But why would you help me, a Slytherin?" Pansy asked.

                "I've learned that not all Slytherins are bad.  And I would never not help someone in need, as long as that person wasn't in the service of You-Know-Who.  And if you came looking for Harry, then you surely would not be."

                "You don't even know my reasons for looking for Potter."

                "But it was not selfish.  You were doing it because he knows something about someone, correct?"

                "Maybe.  I…" Pansy could not continue.  She could not bring herself to say Draco's name.

                "It's okay, you don't have to tell me."

                Why was he being so nice to her?  He was a Weasley, an enemy of her family.  And he was a Gryffindor.  Plus he was on Dumbledore's side.  Why?

                "Why are you being so nice to me?" asked Pansy.

                George smiled at her sadly.

                "Maybe because I feel a kinship with you."

                Pansy did not press him but instead, sighed.

                "I doubt I can go home.  My parents would kill me if they knew that I had been in contact with a Weasley, much less lay in one's bed.  And I'm sure someone saw you taking me here, and I know that my parents will get wind of this."

                "Then don't go."

                "But everything I have is at Parkinson Manor."

                "Are you willing to risk your life for clothes or some simple little trinkets?"

                "No," answered Pansy reluctantly.

                "Stay here then.  Just watch out for Fred because I know he won't like this, and he'll most likely be testing our newest products on you."  George grinned at her, and Pansy offered a tentative smile at him.

                "Is she still here?" a new voice asked, and the two turned to look at the door, where Fred was peeking in.  He scowled.

                "She's staying, Fred," George told his twin.

                "What?!  George, we're not housing a Slytherin, especially one with connections to You-Know-Who!"

                "She has nowhere to go, Fred.  She can't go back to her family after what happened!"

                "You brought this upon us with your foolishness.  Surely she has a fiancé to go to!"

                "Pansy," George asked, turning towards her, "do you have anywhere you can go to?"

                "No," Pansy replied desolately.  She could not go back to her own home, not after being saved by a Weasley (a cute one at that), and it would be too risky to go to Malfoy Manor, as Lucius could be there.

                Fred pulled George outside, and Pansy strained to hear their conversation, though she could not catch any of it.  Her hand involuntarily came up to her neck and clutched the necklace that Draco gave her, a symbol of their friendship.  And she cried.

***

                "George, you're asking for trouble, keeping her!  Her parents would no doubt come after us when they knew.  They would never believe that she was the cause but would blame us instead!"

                "Fred, she should know her parents better than you do!  I believe her when she says that she has nowhere to go anymore.  Poor thing," George said.

                "George, how can you say that about her?  She's a Slytherin, a SLYTHERIN!  The whole lot of them are bad news!  You are going to be the ruin of the both of us!"

                "I won't, Fred.  I'm willing to die, but I won't drag you into it.  If you don't want us here, we'll leave."

                "And where will you go?  You know that Mum would never accept this!  Who else can you turn to?"

                "We can find a flat."

                "George, don't tell me that you like her!"

                "Fine then, I won't."

                "George, come on, what about Katie or Alicia?"

                "Fred, you know that they never worked out!  You and Angelina might have a good relationship, but it never worked out with them for me."

                "But you don't have to resort to a Slytherin!"

                "I'm not resorting to anything!  Not all Parkinsons are bad, you know that!  She…She reminds me of myself.  There's a sad aura about her, and she shouldn't be feeling that way.  You know the nature of Malfoys."

                "That doesn't mean it's okay to like her!  She's a Slytherin, George, a Slytherin, our mortal enemy!!  Besides, she's a Parkinson, and one that hangs with Malfoys.  That shows her nature already!"

                "Fred, you can't just judge people by their houses or their families!  Sirius Black came from a well-to-do Gryffindor family, and he betrayed his best friends for power!"

                "And how do you know this isn't a ploy to get to Dumbledore, George?"

                "Would anyone act that real?  She knows her family, Fred, and the Parkinsons are the type to disown her for even talking to us.  You know how the hierarchy goes.  Besides, I don't think something is right with her."

                "George, how can you?"

                "Fred, why not?  The only reason you don't like her is because she's a Slytherin and a Parkinson.  Had she been anyone else, you would've been fine with it!"

                "And is that wrong?  Slytherins are all the same!"

                "No, they're not!  Some are different than others!"

                "George, if you get us killed, I'm never going to forgive you."

                "Don't worry, I won't.  I better go check up on her."

                George reentered the room to find Pansy sobbing, hand clutched around a beautiful necklace.  He paused and hesitated over what to do.  Pansy, as if detecting his presence, turned her tear-streaked face towards him, and George didn't know if he should comfort her or not, though he sorely wanted to.

                "Are you kicking me out?" she whispered.

                "Of course not.  I convinced Fred in the end, Pansy.  You can stay here for as long as you need to."

                "And where will you sleep?"

                George pondered the question for a moment, as the thought never entered his head.  He shrugged.

                "I guess I can sleep in the living room."

                "No, you should have your bed.  I'm the one who's intruding, I should take the guest spot."

                "But you're a lady.  I most certainly cannot expect to give you something like a sofa!"

                "I'm used to it," Pansy murmured softly, and George felt compelled to ask how, but he knew that now was not a good time to ask her personal questions.  Maybe when they knew each other better and she wasn't so upset.

                He gently wrapped his hand around Pansy's and uncurled her clenched fingers, removing the hand from her deadly grip on her necklace.  George looked at the necklace, a dragon and a hart holding a heart between them, and he knew that this was no ordinary necklace.  It was one of extreme monetary and emotional value.  And it could only be from one person, the person that was making her cry right now—Malfoy.

                Of course it would be a Malfoy who would hurt others and not care, and leave them to fend for themselves.  It was too typical of Malfoys.

                "Don't blame Draco.  He tries really hard, but he can't help who he is or what he has to do," Pansy whispered softly.  "He has enough problems of his own."

                "But that doesn't mean he can make you cry."

                "It's always been that way with Draco.  He always hurts the people around him that care unwittingly.  It's not his fault that he was born as a Malfoy, with his destiny predetermined.  He's had to go through a lot to find what he really wants, and the process hasn't been easy.  Nothing is ever smooth for him.  And even though I was never in his heart, I love him with everything, because he was always by me.   He was always there to be a friend.  He still is, in his own way, even though he loves another."

                Pansy's hand slipped out of George's grasp, and she smiled sadly at him.

                "Thank you for everything.  I don't know how to repay you, but I will."  And she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and George took it as a sign to leave.

                As he left, George felt a huge turmoil in him.  He was supposed to be worried and fearful that now Harry was gone.  He could be dead by now, and no one would know.  Dumbledore had been alerted already, and an emergency meeting had been called for later tonight.

                But for some reason, he could not stop thinking about Pansy.  There was something delicately beautiful about her, though she was anything but a porcelain doll.  He did not fail to notice the sadness around her eyes, and he wanted it gone.  There was something about her that made him feel for her, even though he shouldn't, like Fred said.

___________________________________________

Thanks to:

gumlick – Thank you so much!!!  You must read the rest as they are much more favorable!

Valerie – It will!  Just read the rest!

Hiei no bara – Yep, I know that, unfortunately!!!  And I can't tell you that!

LadyMalfoy182 – Thanks!!!  Of course they had to be!!!  And I know!!!!

And all readers!


	32. Chapter 29: Meddlesome Affairs

Title:  Elementals of Magic:  Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary:  A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black.  A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects.  They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights.  I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication:  IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage:  

______________________________________

Chapter 29

Meddlesome affairs

                Harry awoke to voices, and he quickly shut his eyes.  He was now trapped in the clutches of Voldemort, and it was best to pretend that he wasn't awake yet as they would most certainly stop their conversation if they knew he was conscious.

                "He's awake," someone said, much to Harry's dismay.  A low chuckle sounded through the room, one that chilled Harry's spine.

                "Dear, dear Harry.  Open your eyes."

                Against his will, Harry's eyes were opened and brilliant green exposed to his dismal surroundings.  He was in a stone cell with no apparent way to escape.  He patted his robes for the wand, but it was gone.  No!

                "Still trying to preserve yourself, Harry?  How very Gryffindorish of you," Voldemort said, and the lipless mouth was smirking at him.  Two men stood beside the Dark Lord, both garbed in black robes.  Harry's heart leapt.  Draco and Lucius Malfoy, looking like mirror images of each other.

                All three of them were looking expectantly at Harry, who remained silent.  He thought he saw something flicker in Draco's eyes, but Harry wasn't sure about it.

                "Come, Harry.  Surely you know Lucius Malfoy and his son, Draco?"

                Harry made no response.  Voldemort laughed.

                "Young Draco will be one of the finest of my Death Eaters.  He has been Initiated early with a special task that I believe he can accomplish.  After all, who can resist such charms?"  Voldemort ran a finger down Draco's cheek, and Harry felt disgust.  He should not be allowed to touch such purity.

                "Harry, Harry, I am quite a bit surprised that you actually fell for the trap I set.  After all, I thought it might have been a little bit too obvious.  But the Traitor served his purpose well.  We can use him later again."

                "What did you do with Snape?" Harry yelled.

                "Him?" Lucius asked, and he laughed.  "The Traitor's paying for his betrayal everyday.  Quite a few think he's a good fuck."

                "Of course, you would know," Harry snarled back.  This was sick, unbelievably sick, but what else could he expect from Voldemort and his followers?  He thought he saw Draco swallow back something.

                Lucius smiled thinly.

                "Actually, no.  He does not fit my tastes very well.  I prefer mine well-groomed, elegant, and clean.  He is none of those."

                So maybe he really did love Narcissa.  But still, he was a filthy Death Eater.

                "Young Draco, you do know what you are to do, do you not?"

                "Yes, Master," Draco murmured, and he lowered his eyes.

                "Good.  If it doesn't come to pass, then you will have a most splendid birthday."

                The wall slide open, and another Death Eater entered through the door.  He immediately bowed, averting his eyes to the ground.

                "My Lord, there's someone here to see you."

                "And who would that be?" Voldemort asked, and his lips smiled dangerously.

                "I don't know," he stammered.  "But we tried to hold her off, and she stopped us all."

                "I think I know who's decided to grace me with her presence.  Wait here," he told Draco and Lucius.  With that, he swept out of the room along with the messenger.

                "We're alone now, Potter, just me, you, and my son.  Isn't he a very pretty boy?" Lucius asked, a dangerous smile playing on his face.  Harry made no reply still.

                Lucius ran a hand through Draco's pale blonde hair, which filled Harry with disgust.  He hadn't done anything to Draco in the short time, had he?  Oh God.

                "Many people want him, Potter.  Half the Death Eaters here want him.  And he's been delivered right to you, with a pretty bow and everything.  Isn't that right, Draco?"

                Draco made no reply.

                "Not willing to speak?  Don't worry.  They won't have you.  Yet.  At least, not while I refuse to let them.  After all, why should such beauty be wasted by giving it to the brutes here?  Such beauty deserves beauty of the same kind, and beauty is one of the most useful tools."

                "Yes, Father," Draco replied obediently.

                "Potter, did you know that half the Death Eaters here would like to take you as well?  You have a very wild beauty, Potter, though I never liked wild beauty.  The Traitor has such beauty, which is why he is wanted by most here.  Many Death Eaters would give anything to be in my son's place right now, but my Lord has seen to it that Draco received it, as he is the most likely to succeed."

                At that moment, Voldemort returned.

                "Draco, I leave you to your task.  You know what to do.  Come, Lucius."

                The two men left the room, and Harry collapsed.  He didn't know what to do.  The solid weight of Draco's ring on his finger did little to reassure him.  What was Draco's task and what did it have to do with him?

                Just then, a Death Eater entered, hauling a prisoner with him.  He shoved her in roughly, then closed the door again.  Harry and Draco both glanced at her for a second, though neither truly registered her in their minds.

                "Draco," Harry whispered brokenly.  The next thing he knew, Draco had his arms wrapped around him, kissing away his tears.

                "Shh…It's okay, love.  I won't hurt you, ever."

                "What does he want you to do?  And what's happening?  I'm so confused."

                "He…He wants me to convince you to join our side, even if it means that I have to seduce you.  And if I don't do it by my birthday, then he'll kill you."

                "Well, you won't have to worry about seducing me," Harry said, and he tried to grin, though he failed miserably.

                "And Severus…He's been held captive this whole time.  He never died.  Everyday, he would be tortured.  His spirit's been broken.  The Dark Lord put Imperius on him and then had him set a trap for you."

                "And I fell for it, like the idiotic Gryffindor that I am."

                "Don't say that, love.  I probably would have fallen, too."

                "But you respect him and you would have wanted to help him.  I did it because I thought I could save us all, that I could end the war before it even happened.  And now, I'm stuck here.  We're out of luck."

                "No, you're not," a new voice spoke, and the two men turned to the source.  Draco could scarcely restrain a gasp.  Standing not a decimeter away from them was Narcissa Malfoy, and on her arm hung Draco's Merging Cloak.

                "Mother?" Draco choked out.

                "Yes, Draco.  I had to come see you one last time."  She stepped closer and cupped her hand around Draco's cheek.  Tears shimmered in her eyes.

                "Don't hate Lucius, Draco.  He was never given another choice."

                "And you never gave them a choice, Narcissa.  Or have you forgotten?" another voice piped up.  The three simultaneously turned to the prisoner, and Draco and Narcissa both let out a gasp.

                She had beautiful, smooth black hair that was the same color as her robes, and Harry couldn't tell where the hair ended and where the robes began.  Her eyes were startlingly gray, the same color as Draco's, and they were hard and cold, with a hint of sadness.  She would have been beautiful had she not had a long and hideous scar running down her face, from her eyebrows to her chin.  Harry recognized her as Victoria, from when he had seen her with Tom Riddle during Ravenclaw's Hunt, though she didn't have the scar then.

                "Victoria?" Narcissa whispered, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

                "Narcissa.  What a _pleasure_ to see you again."  Victoria stood up, and Harry could see her hands and feet bound by chains.  Immediately, though, they vanished.

                Victoria stretched.

                "I hate to be breaking in at a family moment, but Narcissa, don't you think you owe them the truth?  After all, you never gave them a choice.  Or do you not remember what you did in their First Year?"

                Harry and Draco looked at each other bemusedly.  What was Victoria talking about?

                "How did you know?" Narcissa breathed.

                "How did I know?  Really, Narcissa, you should have known better.  You weren't needed, though you did speed things up and helped things along nicely.  Still, you shouldn't have."

                "Shouldn't have what?" Draco asked.

                "Do you remember a certain camp experience you shared with Mr. Potter, Draco?" asked Victoria.

                "Yes.  But what does that have to do with this?"

                "It never happened, Draco.  Your _mother_ used a Potion to change your, Mr. Potter's, and Ms. Parkinson's memories."

                "But why?" Draco asked Narcissa.

                "Why?  She wanted to make sure that you would be friends with each other.  She knew that once you became a Death Eater, you would need someone on the other side to support you.  Parkinson could never count as she is deathly in love with you, but Potter could.  He would be the perfect person to support you and vouch for you, especially with his status.  But she never intended the relationship to go as far as its present shape."

                "Mother, is this true?" Draco asked, and he had a broken look in his eyes.

                Narcissa sighed.

                "Yes.  I admit it.  I did brew a Potion and changed your memories.  But I did it for your own good."

                "But how could you just change our memories like that, toy with our emotions like that?"

                "Don't blame Narcissa too much, Draco.  She did it for you.  She would do anything for you."

                "Still, that doesn't make it right," Harry spoke.  "I don't even know if our love is real anymore.  Was it induced by the Potion, or do I really feel this?"

                "Don't say such things, Harry," Draco said, and he leaned in and kissed Harry tenderly, tears falling from his eyes.  The tears mingled with the kiss, and Harry could feel his heart break.

                "Even if you don't love me, I know that I love you, Harry," Draco said.

                "I was wrong.  That kiss…It told me everything I ever wanted to know.  My heart knows you, Draco, and it loves you and would die for you.  This is real."

                They broke apart to find Narcissa sobbing quietly.

                "Why did you have to do this to me?  Why?  Why was it always me?  First Lucius, then Draco.  I'm sorry, Draco and Harry, I truly am, but it was the only thing that I knew to do at that moment.  I couldn't just see you become a Death Eater, Draco, and follow blindly in Lucius's footsteps, the ones he never should have taken.  But it's too late for that, isn't it?  I thought that if I could make the two of you believe you were friends in the past, you would become friends, and Draco, you would switch to the right side, the side that would win.  You needed someone to support you, someone besides Pansy.  Pansy would be on your side, always, but you needed someone who didn't have his life revolving around you.  I thought Harry would be the perfect choice.  I wasn't truly wrong.  I never intended this whole thing to go so out of hand, I never intended for the two of you to fall in love with each other, but maybe it's not a bad thing, because this will ensure that Harry will never abandon you."

                "Why did you work so hard to ensure that I would have someone to support me?  Wouldn't you always support me?  You may seem to be on the other side in public, but I know that you are on their side, against the person you love.  Why?"

                "Because I was afraid," murmured Narcissa.

                "Of what, Mummy?" Draco asked, and Narcissa completely broke down.  Draco walked over and hugged his mother, and Narcissa held him tightly.

                "She's afraid that you will abandon her," Victoria replied.

                "Why is it that you know everything?  And why is it that no one can ever find you?  I've been wanting to contact you for the whole of this year, and now, you showed up!"

                Victoria laughed hollowly.

                "You wouldn't understand my reasons until it's time for the last battle."

                "Oh?  Did you not want anyone to hurt your precious _Tom_?"

                A pained look came into Victoria's eyes, and Harry knew that Draco had hit a sore spot.

                "Tom?" she whispered.  "He's already been hurt.  I hurt him, He hurt him, he's already been broken, like Severus.  But this time, I will save him.  It's the only thing left for me to do.  But why did you want to contact me?" she resumed in her normal tone.

                "Because I want to know my connection with Firewind dragons.  My Animagus Potion told me that my best form would be one of a Firewind dragon."

                A look passed between Victoria and Narcissa.  And then, Narcissa seemed to snap.  She walked towards Victoria and slapped her hard on the face.  Victoria's hand came up to a quickly spreading patch of red on her cheek as her face contorted in shock.

                "Why, Narcissa, I didn't think you had it in you," she said, and she laughed.

                "I'm sick and tired of this, Victoria.  I'm tired of keeping this secret.  Why is it that you always make the rules?  You may be the most powerful of us, but it does not entitle you to have supreme power.  We should be allowed to decide for ourselves."

                "And you do."

                "No, I don't.  The one thing that truly matters, I can't tell Draco.  I never could.  All his questions, they could have been answered by one sentence.  But I've had to lie to him to keep the secret safe.  Do you know how much I hate deceiving him?  He _deserves_ to know.  You don't deserve him."

                "Oh, really?  And do you think it would have done any good to have him know any sooner?  It would have only added confusion and chaos into his life, and if Lucius found out, Draco would have been doomed.  He can know now because the time is finally right."

                "You can tell him, since it's your secret, but you don't deserve to.  I've had to feed him, clothe him, teach him, bathe him, play with him, do everything that a mother had to do.  I did everything for him and with him.  I loved him more than I should have.  I grew emotionally attached when I shouldn't have.  It's all your fault.  You just left and never came back!  And what did you do while you were gone?  You certainly did not go looking for the other two.  And I know for sure that you haven't found a replacement for Severus.  All you did was be a lazy bitch and do nothing while heaving all the responsibilities onto me!"

                "Shut up, Narcissa.  You can complain all you want, but you can't tell me that you didn't enjoy it.  You loved him more than your own, and you wished that he was, didn't you?  You wanted me to be out of the picture after a while, and I was, conveniently.  But do you know what I did?  Do you even know why I had to leave him with you?  Narcissa, I'm no longer alive.  I died the day before I gave him to you.  I was killed by Voldemort, and thankfully, I had left him with some Muggle.  Otherwise, he would be gone as well.  I could never have taken care of him, me being dead.  And keeping him with me would have only made his life more dangerous, and I needed him to grow up in a secure place.  You were the only choice.  And when I found out what happened, I knew that I was extremely lucky.  I never forgot him all these years.  I thought of him all the time.  And what did I do this whole time?  I thought up of the perfect plan and what we have to do for it.  As for the other two?  They don't need to be found, I already knew who they are.  A replacement for Severus?  There's no need.  Are you satisfied now, _cousin?"_

                Narcissa put a hand up to her mouth.

                "I…I didn't know.  If I had…"

                "Of course you didn't!  Do you think I would have worried your mind?  You were already in grief, and I didn't want to trouble you anymore than I had to, and I was giving you enough as it was!  Do you think I would have told you the truth, told you that I was no longer living?  It would bring about too many complications that I don't need.  Albus would get ahold of it, and then, I would have to talk to him.  I didn't need interference then, just peace so I can decide what to do next once all of us are assembled.  And I did.  I know exactly what to do now."

                Harry stared agape at the two women, Victoria radiating off absolute fury and Narcissa regret.  Victoria was dead?  But how can that be?

                "I…I think I know what you're talking about," Draco choked out.

                The two women turned to him.

                "He was always a smart one, Draco.  But of course, given his heritage, he had to be."

                "I just want to know one thing.  Who was my father?"

                "The man who gave you the mark on your arm, _son," Victoria replied._

______________________________________

Thanks to:

Deianra – Yes, I am, and I like to write Pansy not as a ditz but as someone with character.  My other fics also exhibit this trait.

krazymelmo5385

Jaina – You know the answer in my e-mail message!

Unintentional Nightmare – Read it in one setting?  Whew, lots of work!!  I know, it's confusing, but everything will be explained in the end, you just gotta wait!

black knight – Yay, I'm glad you refound this!  H&D, I can't say.  P&G, you can kinda guess.  The prophecy, I can't say yet, but it will be revealed, I promise.  I know, I know, but they will all be answered, I promise!  (At least, hopefully!)

LadyMalfoy182 – Hehe, it's the plot!  And besides, Sevvy isn't dead, as you know now!

chantalmalfoy

SlytherinChaser – This chapter should have told you everything!  I'm glad you decided to review!  I lurk sometimes, too, though…~looks around nervously to see if any of her unreviewed stories' authors pop up~

TarotBabyGirl

MostEvilKitten – Thank you!!!  I'm glad you like my evilness!!!  ~grins~

Amethyst Angel

Valerie – Thanks!  I think Pansy isn't as evil as everyone says she is, and I did a nice little tentative exploration of her character…Glad you like!

Aurora_Angel – Thanks!  I know, it was intended to be a surprise!

natalia flor – Who's your friend?  I'll have to thank her graciously!  Thank you!  I actually don't think my beginning was very good, but if you liked it…Yay!

And all readers!


	33. Chapter 30: The Truth

Title:  Elementals of Magic:  Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary:  A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black.  A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects.  They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights.  I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication:  IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage:  

______________________________________

Chapter 30

The _Truth_

                _She gently set the babe down into his cradle, and unshed tears shone in her crystal blue eyes.  What had happened?  Narcissa didn't know, but she could not let herself become weak over this.  Lucius would forgive her, but still, he had been their pride and joy.  How were they to explain the unpredicted death of the Malfoy Heir?_

_                She hugged herself tightly.  _Lucius…Where are you?  I need your arms around me, I need you to tell me that it's not my fault and that it's okay, that we can have other beautiful babies.  _A single tear appeared at the corner of her eye, and it dropped onto the rich carpet._

_                A _pop_ sounded beside her, and Narcissa quickly composed herself and turned to the House Elf.  Lizzy bowed, then said, "Mistress Narcissa, a visitor here to see you.  Lizzy let her in and she waiting for Mistress right now in the front hall."_

_                "Good.  Tell her that I shall be down in a moment."_

_                A _pop_ announced Lizzy's disappearance.  Narcissa gazed into her mirror, patted her hair, and smoothed her robes.  She made sure that her eyes held no signs of her previous weakness.  She then glided out of the room.  Arriving at the balcony, she gently swept down the grand staircase.  The stained glass windows showed an angry sky outside.  Thunder and lightning lit the sky aflame, and the heavens wept angry tears.  Narcissa felt like the teary sky._

_                A figure stood by the door, pearls of rain dripping onto the expensive marble floor.  Lucius would have a fit if he knew about this.  The blonde narrowed her eyes._

_                Narcissa stopped when she was right in front of the visitor.  Her arms were crossed in front of her chest protectively, as if she was cradling something.  She gently slid her right arm out and took off her hood.  Wet black hair was plastered against her face, limp strands falling across her gray eyes._

_                "__Victoria__," Narcissa stated._

_                "Narcissa.  I have something to discuss with you," she added in a low voice._

_                "Come."  Narcissa led __Victoria__ up the grand staircase.  __Victoria__ had her arms wrapped protectively around her chest again._

_                "Can we go into your baby's room?"_

_                Narcissa nodded, though how did Victoria find out that she had given birth already, much less that she had been pregnant?  There was no use questioning her, however.  __Victoria__ always knew more than she should._

_                The two women stepped into the room, and Narcissa closed the door behind them, then locked it and cast a Soundproof Spell onto it with a wave of her hand._

_                "I see that you have put your abilities to good use."_

_                "There is hardly anything to do.  As the lady of such an estate, all the work is taken care of by the House Elves, and time tends to become boring."_

_Victoria__ had moved so that she was standing by the cradle.  She peered in, then looked back at Narcissa._

_                "Your son is no longer here."_

_                "I know," Narcissa stated flatly, though her voice was laced with sadness.  "I had discovered it before I went down to receive you."_

_                "Your first child, the presumed Malfoy Heir.  I suspect that this will be hard for the family and for the acquaintances of the Malfoys."_

_                "Yes, it shall, but Lucius and I shall find a way.  He was born so weak that…I guess he was not able to survive."_

_                "What a shame.  He would have inherited a most splendid legacy, the father part-Veela and the mother part-Veela but also the Elemental Wind.  However, I have a favor to ask of you."_

_                "Yes?"_

_                And all of a sudden, Narcissa could see what she held in her arms.  It was a mass of blankets, and swathed in them was a baby boy who was sleeping quietly._

_                "I need you to take care of him for me."_

_                "Why can you not take care of him yourself?"_

_                "Why can I not?" __Victoria__ laughed sharply.  "Do you think he would be safe with me, dear cousin?  I need him to grow up in a safe place with an honorable family, one that will teach him many things to better prepare him for his true legacy."_

_                "But I am not a good choice.  Lucius will surely train your son to follow in his own footsteps, and I would be powerless to stop him."_

_                "It does not matter.  Lucius can try, but my son shall never be on his side.  He has my blood in him.  If he was truly the Malfoy Heir, then Lucius can sway him with no problems, but with so much of my blood in him, he cannot possibly derive from his true path, no matter how much he believes that he is _the Malfoy Heir_."_

_                "But what about the appearance differences?  Lucius might not notice now, in the stages of infancy, but when he is grown, Lucius shall be able to notice that he does not have the Malfoy features."_

_                "You forget that my son has Malfoy blood in him, along with DeVrai blood.  He shall look like a Malfoy, with that blood in him."_

_                "And if he does not?"_

_                "He shall, Narcissa.  I know my son."_

_                "Are you sure, __Victoria__?"_

_                "Yes, I am.  I have already given him the Turbatio Potion, and I have altered it so that I am the only one who can break the potion's effects.  But you must promise to not divulge this secret until I allow you to.  The world is at stake here, Narcissa.  If my son is discovered, this world will be conquered by Voldemort."_

_                "I understand, __Victoria__.  I shall take him in and treat him as my own, though I cannot promise to love him as my own."_

_                "I do not expect you to.  However, Narcissa, do not become too attached to my son.  If you do, you will only make the parting harder on the both of you.  But you are the loving kind, Narcissa, and I cannot expect you to not love my son.  You shall love him more than your own, and he does deserve such love, as I am unable to give it to him."_

_                "And why can you not?  All mothers love their child after they give birth."_

_                "Unless one never wanted the child.  Draco will become a splendid man, though I cannot love him.  Mayhap in later times I can begin to, but currently, my heart only belongs to one person, and I do not even have enough love to give to him."_

_                "Do you mean the father of your child?"_

_                "Yes.  He does not know that he is a father, and he cannot know, or more lives than just the three of us would be destroyed.  My family's lives are in your hands, Narcissa.  And the world's.   Take care of my son, and may the First look favorably upon you."_

_                Victoria carefully placed Draco into Narcissa's arms, settling him comfortably upon Narcissa's arms.  The babe's eyes opened, and gray met gray.  __Victoria__, though heartless as she claimed, smiled tentatively._

_                "You shall become a fine man, Draco, more so than either I or your father.  When it is time, I shall present to you your legacy, and you shall become a hero.  But until then, live in Narcissa's care, and love her like your own mother, because she will love you so.  I shall watch you, always, but I cannot guarantee anything more.  And I am sure that you shall be able to melt my heart, even if only a little.  Your father caused it to harden, though I still love him with all I have, and I cannot, no, I do not know how to, love you.  Take care, my son.  You are a favored of the First, and She shall protect you if I am not able to."_

_                The gray eyes closed again, and Draco drifted to sleep.  __Victoria__ looked at Narcissa._

_                "May I kiss him?  Just this once?" asked __Victoria__._

_                "He is your child.  You can do whatever you want, and I shall be unable to stop you."_

_                "No.  You're his mother now, and I need to ask you first.  But thank you."_

_                Victoria leaned down, her wet hair falling onto the blankets.  And her moist lips pressed gently to Draco's forehead in a kiss worthy of her position._

_                "I believe you have already melted part of my heart, Draco.  I am starting to like you already.  I must leave before you cause me to become more emotional.  I am not ready yet to feel the troubled turmoils of the human heart. I have been through too much and will be through too much more to let myself become easily aroused by human emotions.   But carry with you a bit of my heart, Draco, and please do not blame me too much for my actions.  I am only trying to protect you.  Know that you have a mother who looks after you and who tried to love you and will try again, someday.  All she can give you now at the most is affection, and please be content with it.  Someday, when all of this has ended, you shall understand my reasons, and by then, I shall be able to love you the way you deserve, the way you need to be loved."_

_                Victoria picked the dead Malfoy Heir up from his resting place, and in an instant, he vanished, though her arms were once again securely crossed in her front of her chest._

_                "Thank you, Narcissa.  You will not regret this.  I know it.  You shall give him everything that he will need, but more so than that, your love, your heart.  And he shall love you back and grow up happily.  Just be careful of Lucius, cousin.  He will be jealous, and even more so if he discovers Draco's identity.  Do not let him become jealous because it will ruin not just this, but the world."_

_                With that, __Victoria__ left the room.  Narcissa gently placed Draco into the crib and gazed upon him.  Little did she know that all of what __Victoria__ had said would come true._

_                She would love Draco more than she should, more than she would love her own son, and Lucius would become jealous.  She never realized any of it until it was too late to change her mistakes, and by then, she could only live with them._

***

                "And that's what happened," Narcissa concluded softly.

                "Mother, I…"

                "Don't call me 'Mother,' Draco," said Narcissa gently.  "I don't deserve the title."

                "No, Mother, you do.  You were the one who took care of me, who showed and gave me love.  You were my mother, if not in blood, then in reality, in my heart, in my life."

                "Yes, Narcissa, you should.  After all, you deserve it much more than I do.  Draco here, I have some affection for him, but no more than that.  I have tried loving him in these long years, but never have I succeeded."

                "Yet you are able to love Voldemort," Harry spoke.

                "I do not love Voldemort.  I love Tom Riddle."

                "They are the same person, aren't they?" asked Harry.

                "No, they are not.  Tom Riddle is the one I love.  He is the one who is Draco's father.  Voldemort is not Draco's father."

                "Victoria, they're right.  Tom Riddle and Voldemort are the same person."

                "All of you are wrong.  When it is time, you will learn of your folly.  Voldemort, he scorned the love of the woman who loved him more than anything else, but she will still save him, despite everything.  My only task is to save Tom and clear the way for the two of them to battle, because Voldemort is the true one you are battling against.  Tom Riddle is nothing but a pawn, and he is an innocent."

                Draco and Harry exchanged looks.  Was everything even more complicated than the Pandora's Box they were already in?

                "But first, I have things to give to the two of you.  Hold out your hands."

                Draco and Harry both held out their hands, wondering what Victoria would have to give to them.  From her robes she procured something, then dropped one each in Draco and Harry's palms.

                Draco held an opal in his hand, a chain made of tin coiled also in his palm.  Though the opal looked like a typical opal, the xanthochroid could feel power radiating off it.

                Harry held a medium-sized ruby in his palm, one that came with a chain made of copper.  He also could feel power radiating off from his gem.

                "What is this…?" asked Draco.

                "Call me 'Mother'.  It would be a bit disrespectful if you did not, and the First would not like such behavior.  But call Narcissa 'Mummy'.  She deserves the true title of affection."

                "Yes, _Mother_.  What are these?"

                "You hold the signet for the Elemental Water, and Harry holds the signet for the Elemental Fire.  Narcissa, care to show them yours?"

                Narcissa took something off her neck, though neither of the two young men could see what it was until she held it in her hands.  She held the blue sapphire by its chain of bronze, one which had the same design as the signets Harry and Draco held.

                "May I present the Elemental Wind."

                "And just what are Elementals?" asked Harry.

                "What are they?  They are a few special people born with the blood of their Firsts, and as such, they are able to control one of the eight elements.  Those are the basic powers.  To attain all the powers of an Elemental, each prospective candidate has to pass a test."

                "And if the person fails?" Draco asked.

                "The signet refuses to be worn.  The chain will slip through one's neck every time it is placed around it.  But until the person is tested, they can be worn.  Put yours on.  I don't want to carry them around with me any longer.  I've had them since my parents died, and I believe it is time to let the true owners take care of them."

                "And are you one of us?"

                "Is she?" Narcissa laughed.  "She is the most powerful out of all of us."

                "And what element do you claim?" Draco asked.

                "The Elemental Dragon.  When I am gone, this shall be yours, Draco."  Victoria took off her signet and showed it to them.  It was made of gold with a chain made of gold, a sign that she was the most powerful out of them.

                "Put them on.  They have charms cast on them in their respective magics so that no one can see them while they are worn."

                Draco and Harry put on their signets, and the signets immediately disappeared, though the two could feel the solid weight of the gem upon their necks.  It was much like their wedding rings, both of value and both concealed to the public.

                "Now, we must make plans.  Narcissa, you will escape, of course.  Draco, you shall help her.  No one would suspect you walking around.  Just tell them that you are taking a break.  Narcissa, once you arrive _safely back at Malfoy Manor, contact Remus, Flora, and Albus.  I believe the three of them can be found at Hogwarts, planning for the upcoming war.  Tell them to prepare for my arrival at any time, and be ready to leave upon my arrival at any time.  You, too, Narcissa._

                Draco, you find out the dates for attacks.  Give the dates and places to me.  When I find an attack large enough, I will tell the plan to the two of you.  The two of you will do as I say.  Do NOT care about anything else.  I will take care of Severus."

                Draco and Narcissa nodded, and Harry felt very much excluded, though he was also thankful.  It was no longer him in the spotlight.  There were other heroes, ones greater than he.

                "Now, go.  Narcissa, I wish you the best of luck."

                "Thank you."

                Narcissa put on the Merging Cloak, and she was gone.  Draco opened the door with a spell that Harry knew he would have no chance of opening, now that his wand was gone.  In the next second, the two were gone, and he was left alone with Victoria.

                She tossed him something, and when Harry caught it, he felt smooth wood between his hands.  It was his wand, but how had she gotten it?

                Victoria shrugged.

                "Thought you might need it once we get out of here."

                "Why can't we escape now?"

                "If you want to leave Severus to die and the whole plan ruined, then you can leave now.  I, for one, am staying until I am able to rescue Severus.  He is an essential part of us."

                "And which Elemental is he?"

                "The Elemental Metal.  One of the weaker ones, but it does not matter.  Without all of the Elementals gathered, I cannot carry through with my plan."

                "Which is?"

                "I will not tell you yet until you need to know.  You can't spill what you don't know."

                "Do you not trust me?" asked Harry.

                "I do not trust anybody truly.  Years of distraught have taught me that I cannot afford to, not if I want to survive and have everything go as planned.  Shush.  Draco is returning.  Take care of him for me, Harry, because you are the one he loves and will truly listen to."

                Draco then entered, and Victoria said no more.

___________________________________________________

Thanks to:

Meana

Shortsnout

Unintentional Nightmare – Well, he's whole now.  And the whole thing will be explained a bit better later.

allycat – All will be better!

And all readers!


	34. Chapter 31: Into the Light

Title:  Elementals of Magic:  Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Summary:  A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black.  A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects.  They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights.  I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication:  IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: 

______________________________________

Chapter 31

Into the Light

                Harry never thought that he would meet a mother like Victoria.  Mothers were supposed to be sweet, caring, compassionate, always there to talk to, and all the other things that defined them.  Victoria was anything but.

                She was not truly cold towards the two of them, but she wasn't warm, either.  Victoria kept a certain distance from them emotionally, and her eyes never changed expressions.  She was as sarcastic and cutting as a lethal blade, and she made no exceptions for her son and soon-to-be son-in-law.

                After Draco had returned, she had immediately gone to work.  She had them clear a space in the middle of the floor, and then, she took out a dagger.  The blade was full of luster and was extremely sharp, a sign that she took care of the weapon, which meant that the dagger was important in some way.

                They watched as she brought the dagger to nip the tip of a finger, and when blood started to creep out of the puncture, she used the blood to draw a Chinese symbol onto the stone floor.

                "What is that, Mother?"

                "It's the complex Chinese symbol for dragon, but I won't tell you the use yet.  Dragon Magic entails the use of blood for many spells, and all higher magics usually have blood as a key component.  Blood is a very powerful thing when used correctly.  Even Soul, Mind, and Heart Magic employ the use of blood, as it creates strong bonds.  Narcissa was supposed to learn these three magics when she left Hogwarts, though she never did because of her marriage to Lucius.  But she was more than repaid for such a loss, as I found her and gave her her signet and her book.  I'll give you your books once we arrive at where we are headed.  Make sure that the two of you do not step on or touch or smear the mark.  It's the key to escaping this place."

                And then, she went back to her unnerving silence in which she did not speak nor train her eyes on them.  She didn't breathe, she didn't move, she just sat and stared into space, though her eyes never turned glossy, and Harry didn't think that she blinked, either.  It was as if she found no purpose in life, and she most likely didn't.

                The first night, they had been scared to do anything in front of her.  They had ached for each other badly, but they did not go beyond gentle kisses and just plain holding each other.  That is, until Victoria's eyes turned to them and said, "My eyes don't see what I don't need to see.  If you want to fuck, then do it.  Don't snivel around and pretend you can do without it."  Her eyes then turned away, and in the next moment, Draco had Harry on the floor and his hands taking off Harry's clothes, and Harry couldn't complain.  It didn't matter after that.  Victoria, she saw but did not see at the same time.  It was like she had trapped her mind in her own world and her body in the room they were in.

                The room was completely made of stone, and the only way in or out was a spellbound door.  The "cell" was in a perpetual state of semi-darkness, and it was romantic and depressing at the same time.  Being stuck in there made Harry felt extremely helpless because he had nothing to pass the time with.

                His mind had drifted, while he lay in Draco's arms the first night, to doing it in front of his future mother-in-law.  It was a bit embarrassing, though it seemed that Draco didn't care even though Victoria was his long-lost mother.  And his father-in-law was the one who had confined them to this small, dingy room.  What a twisted family he was marrying into.

                Then, two days later, Draco came in with good news along with their meals.  After setting the trays down and giving Harry a swift kiss, he turned to Victoria while his hand snaked to intertwine with Harry's.

                "The next attack is two days from now.  There will be about ten Death Eaters staying behind, not including me."

                "And just where are they attacking?" Victoria asked while she pushed her tray to Draco.

                "The Ministry of Magic."

                Victoria laughed contemptuously.

                "Serves Fudge right.  I hope he's killed in the battle.  I don't understand how he even got into the Ministry, much less become Minister of Magic."

                "What's wrong with him?" asked Harry.

                "Cornelius?  He was the Neville Longbottom of our year.  In fact, he was even worse than little Neville.  Tom tormented him so badly that he asked to have classes with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs so that he could avoid my dear Head Boy.  Of course, Tom found other ways."  She laughed mirthlessly.

                "And for how long were you involved?" Draco asked harshly.

                Victoria shrugged, making no sign to indicate that she had heard Draco's tone of voice.

                "We were steady from Second to Fourth Year, though I left when Voldemort started taking control.  Now when I think back, I should have stayed and helped him fight for control.  With me gone, he had nothing left to fight for, and Voldemort had a clear path.  After we left Hogwarts, I went to him several times, and each time, Tom had enough control to be with me, though Voldemort did let him.  Then, when I became pregnant, Voldemort was finally able to convince Tom that I didn't love him, and with that last shred of hope gone, Voldemort took complete control.  Neither of them knows about Draco, of course, and it needs to stay that way.  Because if Voldemort found out, then I wouldn't expect Draco to live for very long."

                "Why are you still alive?"

                Victoria laughed sharply.

                "If I had only known…In fact, I wish that I had died that day now because I have nothing to live for anymore except what I said in my oath, and that has dragged on for too long.  All Elementals are capable of taking an oath with their First, which ensures that they will not die until certain conditions are met.  Of course, it must be sealed by blood."  Victoria's hand reached up to trace her scar.  "I ruined my beauty to insure that I would not die until I saved Tom.  Had I not done so, I would be dead already, and Draco would most likely have to grow up in an orphanage."

                She turned quiet again, and Harry and Draco ate lunch together silently.  When Draco was about to go, though, she looked up at him.

                "Good job, Draco."

                The day leading up to the date of the attack was full of nervousness and excitement.  Finally, to be able to escape from Voldemort's clutches, not that they couldn't already, but they could finally leave the filthy room and start the plan that would defeat Voldemort and save Tom Riddle, as Victoria called it.  While Harry paced the stone room, Victoria just sat in her usual place, eyes staring straight ahead like how she usually was, and Harry had to wonder if maybe some part of her soul died along with her physical death.

                When Draco came in for the night, Victoria beckoned them close to her.

                "Tomorrow, the first thing you do, Draco, is to go out and see when they go.  When Voldemort's gone with the rest of his lackeys, come in and tell me.  I'll be here to summon a Firewind Dragon, who will receive us outside.  The two of you will then leave, and I will cast a shield around the two of you, but you two, remember, stun all the ones you can before they can alert Voldemort.  Don't worry about Severus, I'll take care of him.  If Voldemort comes back before I'm done, go without me to Hogwarts, and Albus, Remus, and Flora should be ready then.  They'll know what to do afterwards."

                "It's that simple?" asked Draco a bit disbelievingly.

                "It sounds simple, Draco, but it's not that easy.  It takes more time than you think it does.  There's a lot involved in this part of the plan, which is the most crucial of the whole thing.  If we don't get out, then the world will probably be conquered.  Just pretend that tonight is the last night you can spend with your dear Harry, and tomorrow, we'll see how everything goes."

                And that night was perhaps the best that Harry had ever experienced, even more so than their first night together.  Everything was gentle and sweet, and all of it spoke of undying and devoted love.  When they were together, it was like Victoria wasn't even in the room, like Voldemort did not exist nor want to kill his family, like life was actually perfect and they could possibly live a fairy tale life where everything was okay in the end, no matter what hardships and trials they had to endure to get there.

                The next morning found Harry alone.  Draco had left early, and the raven-haired man waited impatiently for his lover to return so they could leave the wretched place.  A bit before midday, Draco came back, cheeks a tiny bit flushed.

                "They're gone," he said quickly, and Victoria leapt into action.  She stood in front of the symbol, then started chanting in Chinese.  Her signet and the symbol of blood glowed gold for a moment, and she turned to them.  She waved her hand at them.

                "The shield is in effect.  Two are on their way, and treat them both with respect.  No matter what happens, do not make them angry, or things will become ugly.  Get out of here as fast as you can, and stun all the Death Eaters you can."

                She made a shooing motion at the door, and the stones slid away to reveal an exit.  Needing no second bidding, Draco and Harry hurried out of the room.  A Death Eater stood a few meters down from them in the stone corridor, but Draco stunned him before the Death Eater noticed them.

                "We're in Slytherin's Castle—_Stupefy!—Don't get lost or you won't find your way out, just stay by me—_Stupefy!_"_

                The two stunned any Death Eaters that they saw, and following Draco's lead, Harry ran out of his place of confinement and into the first taste of fresh air after almost a week of confinement.  He inhaled the fresh air greedily while Draco stood in front of him, eyes surveying the sky for a Firewind Dragon.

                Moments later, two long, serpentine shapes appeared in the sky, and Draco knew that the Firewind Dragon had arrived.  Now, where was Victoria?

***

                After watching her son and her son-in-law run out of the door, Victoria took out a pre-made potion from the inside of her robe.  She uncorked the vial and gulped the purple liquid down.

                And then, she could feel Severus's signet radiating from another chamber within the castle, and after casting a shield around herself, she set off down the stone corridors.

                Twists, turns, and several incredibly stupid Death Eaters later, she was standing in front of a bare patch of stone wall.  She impatiently waved her hand at the wall, and the stones forming the doorway slid away to reveal an opening into a dim chamber.

                Victoria walked straight in and heard a choked noise to her left.  She turned to find Severus chained against the stone wall, robes torn and bloodied and hair even greasier than usual.  She sighed.

                "Severus."

                He lifted his head to look at her, and Victoria watched as a spark of life lit in the coal-black eyes.

                "Victoria?" he asked uncertainly, as if her presence was a mirage.

                She scrutinized the wall behind him and was not too surprised to see mold and other such disgusting objects growing on the wall along with dried semen and blood crusting the stones.  Poor Severus.  She gingerly stepped over the skeletons decaying on the stone floor and walked to him.

                "Yes, it's me.  Thank you for keeping your faith in me and believing that I would come."

                She flicked her wrist at the chains, and instantly, they disappeared, though Severus dropped to the floor in a crumple.  Victoria cursed inwardly as she stooped down and helped Severus shakily stand.  He cast an eye around.

                "Where are the rest?"

                "There's an attack on the Ministry of Magic right now, but we better get going before they come back or one of the ones that stayed behind realize that we're escaping.  Do you know how to Speed?"

                Severus shook his head warily and unsteadily.  He flexed his fingers as if he could hardly believe that he was free.

                Cursing inwardly again, Victoria cast a shield around them, then helped Severus hobble out of the cell.  She then helped him walk down the corridor, though slowly, Severus began to regain the use of his legs, and by the time they had reached the door, he was fully capable of walking on his own, much to Victoria's relief.

                They quickly made their way out of the doors, and waiting in front of the castle were a Firewind Dragon, and Draco was talking to one of them.  The Dragon said something, and Draco turned towards them.

                "Severus!" he said joyfully and hugged the older man once they had arrived.

                "Draco," Severus said with a hint of affection in his voice.

                "Severus, I…"

                "We can discuss things later, Draco.  Right now, the only thing that matters is escaping from this dreadful place.  I never want to be anywhere near here again."

                They found Victoria talking to the dragon that Draco had been speaking to quietly, and Draco realized finally that they were not talking in English.

                _"So will you please take us to Hogwarts, then to the Elemental Wood's family place?"_

_                "The First has told us that it is about time for the Prophecy to come to pass.  Is the beginning of the end coming?"_

_                "Yes, it is."_

_                "I will help as much as I can."_

_                "Thank you, brother."_

                Victoria motioned to them.

                "Climb on."

                She swung herself effortlessly onto the thick, scaly body, and Draco followed her example.  Harry looked at the dragon hesitantly, though with Draco's persuasion and help, he climbed on.  Severus, with Victoria's help, climbed on, and then, the dragon set off.

                Flying on the dragon was amazing, though in Harry's opinion, Quidditch was better.  But with the dragon, they were flying among the clouds, with the wind blowing behind them.  It was an exhilarating rush, much like Quidditch, except that Harry didn't have control.  But it was still memorable, looking down and seeing the villages dotted here and there.

                Soon, they came into sight of Hogwarts, and the dragon landed in front of the main doors, the other dragon landing by him.  Hagrid came striding up, though he stopped when he caught sight of Victoria.

                "Victoria?" he asked.

                She turned a cool eye onto him.

                "Rubeus.  Long time, no see.  Do alert the Headmaster, will you?"

                "No need, Victoria," another voice replied, and they found Albus Dumbledore standing in front of the now open main doors, Flora Sprout and Remus Lupin standing by him.

                Severus and Remus's gazes locked on each other immediately, and they stared at each other.  Victoria, though, ignored them.  She hopped off the dragon.

                "Albus.  I see that you have prepared very well."

                "Yes, I have.  Are we to go now?"

                "Yes.  We shall be making a stop at Malfoy Manor for Narcissa—"

                "No need," the cool voice of Narcissa Malfoy spoke, and she glided to the group to stand by the other Elementals.

                "Good.  Saves us a trip and some time then.  Remus, is your place still available?"

                "Yes, but you're not planning to go there, are you?"

                "Of course.  It's right by that nice big field that's perfect to do battle on.  And besides, you don't possibly expect us to stay at Hogwarts or Malfoy Manor, do you?"

                Remus did not reply, and Victoria considered the issue settled.

                "Good.  Climb up on her," Victoria pointed to the other dragon, "and then, we're leaving."

                When everyone was on a dragon, Victoria leaned close to his head and whispered something.  The two dragons then took off and soon landed in front of a two-story cottage, though Harry could tell that it was far away from Hogwarts.

                The eight climbed off, and Victoria stroked both dragons.

                "Thank you," she said.

                "Always glad to help, sister," the male said, and turning to Draco, he said, "Glad to meet you, brother."  The dragons then took off and were out of sight in a few seconds.

                Victoria turned to all of them.

                "Now, this has to be quick.  The most time I would give us is two days, which means that we have to have everything ready today.  Once all that's done, you seven can relax because after you played your part, you're not in danger anymore."

                "And what about you?" Narcissa asked.

                "I will make the final preparations for Voldemort's arrival."

                And when the seven lesser Elementals trooped into the house, Victoria's eyes turned brown.

                "Or do you mean I will, Dragon Star?  Because my brother is the one who I will face and the one I need to be ready for.  Finally, after all these years, I can save him from what he has done to himself."

                The irises turned back into their former Malfoy Grey, and Victoria sighed.

                "Yes, you will, Dragon Goddess.  The battle's all yours.  And then, we can finally go to our peace."

_____________________________________

Thanks to:

Unintentional Nightmare – This is weekly, so I think you know the dates.

Hyperbole – Thanks!  My thought exactly, since it's Gryffindor and Slytherin!

Ugly Duckling – Really?  I never liked the beginning, but thanks!

Aurora_Angel – It says Chapter 29 was added March 1, but how come I didn't get it in my Chapter Owls?  I think we both missed it.  =)  The ending should be in 3 chapters!  And then the sequel!

And all readers!


	35. Chapter 32: The Final Battle

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Pairing:  Harry/Draco

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: 

______________________________________

Chapter 32

The Final Battle

When Victoria entered, she immediately took charge of sleeping arrangements.

"Remus, there's five bedrooms in here, right?"

"Yes."

                She thought for a moment.

                "Harry and Draco, the two of you can have one.  Remus and Severus," here, she glared at them pointedly, "you two can share one.  That leaves three.  Narcissa, Flora, Albus, the each of you can have one."

                "And what about you?" Narcissa asked.

                "Me?" Victoria said, and she laughed mirthlessly.  "Do I look like I need sleep, Narcissa?  All of you, you are free until I call for you.  I suggest that you go to your rooms and put things in order."  With that, she left the house, leaving the seven lesser Elementals standing inside.

                "Well, what are we waiting for?" Dumbledore asked jovially.  "Why not do as Victoria says and set our things in order?"  His eyes twinkled towards Severus and Remus especially.

                The seven split for their rooms.

***

                Severus and Remus entered Remus's old room uneasily, each avoiding the other's gaze.  Remus set a small bag on his dresser while Severus sat on the bed awkwardly.

                "So…We're supposed to share this room," Remus began uncomfortably.

                "Yes, we are," Severus replied, looking Remus straight in the eyes, and he realized once again how beautiful they were, hazel with flecks of amber within them.

                "And there's only one bed in here," Remus continued, eyes averted.

                "And you're suggesting what, Remus?" Severus asked roughly, and Remus was startled because Severus had not called him by his first name since that night.

                "We…would have to share the bed because neither of us is going to sleep on the floor," Remus finished, raising his eyes to meet Severus's.

                "And why could neither of us sleep on the floor?" asked Severus coolly, his eyes still on Remus's face.

                "Severus, it would be very awkward for either one of us to sleep on the floor, and you know it.  I promise that I won't invade your side."  Severus noticed a tired look to Remus's face, and he knew that he was part of the cause.

                "Remus, I…" Severus started, and then he choked.

                Just then, a knock sounded on the door.

                "Come in," Remus said, and Draco's head appeared.

                "I don't know if this is a bad time or not, but Victoria is ready."

                "We'll be right there, Draco."

                The blonde nodded and closed the door.

                "Let's go, Remus," Severus said, and he stood up.  Remus followed him, wondering what he could have wanted to say.

                They found Victoria in the field in front of the house, and the grass was sprinkled with blood in another design.

                "Form a circle around the design, but do not smear it in anyway," Victoria said, and they obeyed her.  Victoria took her place at the head of the circle.

                She started chanting in Chinese, and all eight signets started to glow gold.  Then, a stream of golden light shot from each signet to a point above the symbol of blood, and the ball of gold started to grow bigger with each passing second as Victoria chanted.

                Then, there was only gold in front of their eyes, and when the gold subsided, a white book lay on the ground in the center of the symbol.  Though it seemed ordinary, it held an aura of extreme power.

                "That's it.  Thank you."

                "That's it?" asked Draco a bit disbelievingly.  "And what will you do with the book?"

                "This book is the book of Ethereal Magic, and it can only be accessed in one way.  The Chinese symbol for sky must be drawn in the Elemental Dragon's blood, and all the Elementals must be assembled around the symbol for the summoning to work.  What will I do with it?  I already have a spell in mind, and I only need to look it up."

                "So this is all we do?" Severus asked.

                Victoria nodded.  "Yes.  But without any of you, the summoning cannot be completed, so do not think that you didn't play a major role in this.  Thank you, and I suggest that all of you keep away from the battle."

                She picked up the book and then left for the house, and the other seven followed her in.

***

                "You are telling me that they escaped?" Voldemort asked coldly.

                "Yes, Master," the Death Eater said, groveling at his feet.

                "And you let them."

                "Sir, we could not break through the shields they had on.  But I saw them riding away on a flying snake-shaped creature with a really large mane-filled head."

                _A flying snake with a really large mane-filled head.  How pathetic the fool is with descriptions.  He can't even tell a dragon when he sees one, especially the noblest and most powerful of them all—a Firewind Dragon.  Any competent Wizard would be able to feel the energy radiating off the creature._

                Voldemort gestured to Wormtail.

                "_Crucio!" the rat squeaked, and the Death Eater screamed in pain._

                "Curse him until he passes out," Voldemort said, and he left the chamber.

                He had underestimated Victoria, not knowing that she was the Dragon Elemental, which would explain why she had won their Founders' Pride.  And that meant that his sister was also here and waiting for him to arrive.

                Voldemort turned into his chamber, and he felt Tom struggling.

                _Why now?  You know you cannot win._

The struggle subsided, and Voldemort laughed coldly.  "Face it, Tom, this is my body now."

                He entered and picked up a book bound by what appeared to be black leather but was actually the skin of a basilisk coated with dragon oil.  He opened the book and flipped through the pages, then a long white finger shot out and landed on a page.

                _This should be just fine for my purposes._

                _Please don't hurt her, please._

_                Too late for that, Tom.  She's involved with my sister, and I cannot forgive her for that._

_                And just what did your sister do?_

_                She betrayed me._

***

                "Severus, what did you want to say to me?" Remus asked as soon as he shut the door.  He turned to look at Severus, who was once again sitting on the bed.  He had his face turned away from Remus.

                "Severus?" Remus asked uncertainly, and he took a step forward.  Severus remained silent.  "If you won't talk, then at least listen to me.  I have something to say to you."

                Severus turned his head towards Remus.

                "I'm sorry."

                And Severus stared at Remus, shocked, for a very long time, which made Remus extremely uncomfortable.  Then, he said, "No, I'm sorry."

                Remus could not believe what he was hearing.  Severus was apologizing to him.  "It was my fault, Severus.  I should have trusted you enough to tell you what I am instead of having you find out at the risk of your life.  I betrayed your trust."

                "You may blame yourself, Remus, but I'm also guilty.  I betrayed your trust as well.  I should have listened to your explanation, but I didn't.  I left you because I was so hurt and angry about you not telling me the truth, and then…"

                "Because of me, you accepted Lucius's offer to join the Death Eaters.  And all of this," Remus gestured to their surroundings, "is my fault.  If I had trusted you, you wouldn't have been caught, much less be there in the first place."

                "I probably would have joined as a spy anyway, Remus."

                "Why are you telling me this, Severus?" Remus whispered.

                "I could ask you the same thing, Remus.  But while I was in there, I realized that I needed to make it up to you because I made life hard for you, especially four years ago.  So I promised myself that I would apologize to you if I survived," Severus replied quietly.

                "Is that the only reason?" asked Remus.

                "No," Severus murmured.  "I…I still love you, after all these years, and I couldn't have you hate me for the rest of both of our lives."

                "I…I love you too, Severus.  I never stopped loving you, even after you left me.  Four years ago was so hard on me…To be so near you but not able to touch you or caress you or kiss you.  And when you found me with Sirius at the Shrieking Shack…I thought that everything was truly doomed because it looked as if I was with Sirius, as if I was over you.  This year, he tried so hard to seduce me, but he never succeeded because I love only you and will always love only you."

                "Does this mean that we can try again?"

                "I'm willing if you are, Severus."

                And then Severus had his lips on his and his hands in his hair, and he pulled them onto the bed.  When they broke up, Remus looked at Severus.

                "That means yes, right?"

                And Severus responded by meeting Remus's lips with his.

***

                "So they are back together."

                _Which means that all the conditions have truly been met.  My brother will come now._

***

                Surprisingly, Voldemort did not attack during the night.  Three occupants received a good night's rest, and four occupants received an extremely well night's rest.  The other did not sleep at all.

                The next morning was beautiful, white clouds lazily drifting about a pale blue sky.  A light breeze ruffled the grass, but a sense of foreboding hung heavily in the air.

                Victoria stood at one end of the field, eyes busily scanning for any sign of Voldemort.  The others were scattered around her, intent on watching the battle and helping if necessary.

                All of a sudden, without warning, Voldemort appeared.  He cast a look at the field, and his scarlet eyes narrowed.  He then looked to the opposite end, where Victoria stood.

                "Your signet was extremely helpful, and I trust that you _wanted_ me to find you."

                Victoria did not reply, but slowly, a ball of gold energy appeared above her heart.

                Voldemort's eyes narrowed, and a ball of green energy appeared in front of him, and it was growing faster than Victoria's ball of energy.

                "You can't win, Victoria.  I've been practicing Apocalypse Magic longer than you've been practicing Ethereal Magic."

                Tom could see that Victoria was losing, and he struggled against Voldemort, though he could feel Voldemort pushing down on him, suppressing him, suffocating him, and he knew that if he fought now, he would lose.

                Tom stopped struggling, and Voldemort seemed satisfied.  He concentrated on collecting the energy for the spell, and Tom could feel strength draining out of Voldemort and himself gaining strength slowly.  And right as the spell was to be completed, Tom gathered all his strength and will and burst up against Voldemort.  He could feel Voldemort lose control for a second before he was once again pushed down, but it was enough.  The ball of golden energy shot towards them, and the next second, Tom was in control.

                Victoria ran towards him and pulled him away, and he saw the others staring at him.

                "What is it?" he asked.

                "He's gone now.  You have your old body again," she said.  And then she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face against his robes.  "I missed you."

                "I missed you, too."

                Meanwhile, two others were standing on the field.  "I cast a spell that would let Dragon Goddess and Dragon Soul take their own forms so they can battle it out themselves."

                Dragon Goddess stood tall and proud, black hair cascading down her back and brown eyes sharp and kind, though they also held betrayal, pain, and anguish within them.  She was dressed in a rough robe made of what appeared to be the pelt of a werewolf.

                Dragon Soul stood opposite her, black hair neatly framing his weary face and brown eyes also filled with betrayal, but more than that, something akin to madness.  He was also dressed in a robe made from the pelt of a werewolf.

                "Hello, brother."

                "Sister, how good to see you again."

                And the next thing they knew, Dragon Goddess had shot a beam of white light from her heart to his.

                "Congratulations on your magic, sister.  You're stronger than last I remembered."

                "When you left, I had not even started learning magic yet."

                "Ah, but your time in her body…"

                "She won by herself, brother."

                And then, Dragon Soul stumbled back and clutched his heart.  He looked at his sister, who had tears rolling out of her eyes.

                "How…how could you still love me after all that I've put you through?" he whispered.

                "How?" she replied through her tears.  "No matter how much you hurt me, I still remembered the beginning, before you left.  And that gave me hope and belief and strengthened my love for you until I could no longer dampen my feelings.  I love you, no matter what."

                Dragon Soul clutched his heart harder, and he fell onto his knees.  When he raised his head, tears shone in his eyes.

                "Stop this, please," he replied, anguished.  "Don't' let me feel all this, don't."

                "No, I have to," Dragon Goddess answered painfully.  "I have to let you feel what I felt, all the pain, grief, but most importantly, my fatal love."

                Dragon Soul bowed his head, and they stood like that for several hours.  Dumbledore's eyes were devoid of their usual twinkle; Harry and Draco had their arms around each other, Draco's head against Harry's shoulder; Severus and Remus's hands were intertwined as they silently supported each other; and Tom and Dragon Star, her head against his chest, arms around each other, and heads turned to watch Dragon Soul and Dragon Goddess battle.

                Finally, Dragon Soul raised his head, and twin rivers ran down his face and onto the grass.  "Don't anymore, Dragon Goddess.  I…I still love you.  Please stop the spell, you're breaking my heart all over again."  He then turned to look at them.  "Tom, I'm sorry for taking over your body and manipulating and controlling you.  Dragon Star, I apologize for robbing you of your life and your family.  I know the mark of an oath when I see one.  Harry," he paused, then plunged on, "I'm sorry for killing your parents and making you an orphan.  Draco, I'm sorry for tearing your family apart, and the same thing to you, Narcissa.  Severus, I'm sorry for hurting you almost beyond repair."  He turned to look at Dragon Goddess again.  "And sister, I apologize for being so foolish and not believing you."

                The beam of white light disappeared, and Dragon Goddess rushed over to her brother.  They wrapped their arms around each other, and she kissed his tears away.

                "It's over now, it's finally over," Dragon Star whispered.  "She cast a soul bond with Ethereal and Soul Magic so that he could feel what she felt, feel all the anguish and betrayal and pain that he put her through.  She flooded his stone heart with so many emotions that they overwhelmed him and cracked the stone shield he put around his heart to expose his true heart.  And by making him feel, she saved him."

                The two stood up, and they faced the onlookers.

                "It's over.  You've won," Dragon Goddess told them, and then, they turned to each other.

                "We've done it.  We're back together again, and we can finally catch up," she whispered to him, and then, she buried her face in his robe.

                He pulled her close and looked up at the sky.  "She's come to honor your passing, sister.  Your test was to save me, wasn't it?"

                A huge shape loomed over them, and then, a Firewind Dragon landed, bigger than any they had yet seen.  Her sheer size covered half the field, more than twice the size of any other Firewind Dragon, and she radiated power and wisdom.

                "The First," Dragon Star whispered, and she, Dragon Goddess, and Dragon Soul immediately knelt in deference.

                "Congratulations, granddaughter," the First spoke, though Draco understood it all.  "You have finally accomplished what was prophesized all those years ago, and none of it was easy on your spirit.  Had you not believe, your soul would have been broken long ago."

                "Yes, grandmother," Dragon Goddess replied reverently.

                "Grandson, you recognize your wrong?" she asked sternly.

                "Yes, grandmother.  I should never have doubted her…I never should have put power above my own sister, the one person that I ever truly loved," he replied quietly.

                "Good.  You finally realize what you should have done, what you lost by doing what you did.  She never gave up on you, and she did save you in the end."

                "I know, even though I hurt her so much.  I owe her so much.  I owe her her life, her happiness, everything.  I caused all of this, with my distrusting and suspicious heart."

                "I am glad that you recognize your wrong, and you can reunite with your sister now.  Dragon Star," she continued, and Dragon Star bowed her head even more, "you have finally finished your terms of the oath."

                "I know, Mother," she whispered.

                "You know what is to come."

                "I embrace it.  Life means nothing to me anymore, even though Tom is back.  I have no place in this world at this time."

                "I am glad you are willing.  And Dragon Heart," here, she turned to look at Draco, who promptly imitated the others and dropped to his knees, "ah, you know a bit about the rituals.  Congratulations on a job well done with the Initial's child.  The two of you are truly well-matched, though I never did realize how far the Primary's child would take things, but she is a bright one, and Dragon Heart, obey your second mother well."

                "Yes, Mother," he murmured.

                The First turned back towards the other three.

                "It is almost time.  Do your last things, and then, you know what will happen."

                Dragon Star stood up and then went to Tom.

                "You see our son?  He has grown up to be a fine man, Tom.  Take care of him, will you?"  And then she leaned in and kissed him gently before walking away and back towards the other two, who had not moved.

                Suddenly, a bright golden light filled everyone's vision, and when the light subsided, four Firewind Dragons stood in front of them.  Two of them immediately intertwined with each other, and one went up to Tom and nuzzled him, then said, "Remember that I always loved you, and I always will."

                She then turned to Draco.  "Good luck, and I suggest that you look up eternal soul bounds for you and Harry."

                She flew towards the other three waiting dragons, and they were out of sight within minutes.  The sun shone brighter than ever, the sky was clearer than ever, and the war was over.

________________________________

Thanks to:

Unintentional Nightmare – Sad-D?  Me, too, usually, but this one came out…not too angsty.

Valerie – Typed your name Victoria, for some reason…This fic must be getting to my head.  I couldn't kill Sevvy, I like him too much!  hehe

And all readers!


	36. Epilogue: StarLit Sky

Title: Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Author name and e-mail: mistykasumi at SeducerofFantasy@hotmail.com

Pairing:  Harry/Draco

Summary: A 7th year contest causes Harry and Draco to bond, setting off a prophecy long ago stopped by the interference of Sirius Black. A prophecy that told of Voldemort's destruction.

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters and objects. They belong to J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros, and anyone else with copyrights. I, however, do own the plot of this, and any original items, characters, spells, and other objects do belong to me.

Dedication: IcyEyes202, for being a dear!

Homepage: 

______________________________________

Epilogue

Star-Lit Sky

Tom looked at Albus.  "I would like to turn in all of the Death Eaters," he told the older man.  "It's the least I could do."

Albus nodded.  "I understand, Tom.  Even if you did not disclose this information, though, I would still have vouched for you because you are an innocent.  Let's go to the Ministry and inform them of recent events."  With that, the two disappeared with a _crack._

Narcissa sighed.  "I'm going back home, Draco.  Nothing's changed.  Malfoy Manor is still your home, no matter what."

"Thank you, Mummy," said Draco sincerely, and Narcissa Apparated away.

                Severus looked at them all.  "I'm going back to Hogwarts.  Anyone else coming?"  He looked over at Remus, who smiled tenderly at him.

                "We're coming also, Severus.  I don't think it's okay to disturb my mother right now."

                "But what about my wand and all my stuff in my trunk?" Harry asked, worried.

                "I'm sure that the Ministry will be sending Aurors to Slytherin's castle soon, and they should be able to retrieve your stuff.  Besides, I doubt you want to go get your stuff while several hundred Death Eaters are lurking there," Remus said reasonably.

                "Do you know how to Apparate, Potter?" Severus asked.

                Harry shook his head.

                "I'll Apparate with him, Severus," Draco offered, and Severus turned a stern eye towards him.

                "Apparate with him, Draco?  You know the risks that could occur from that."

                "I'm willing, Severus."

                "All right.  Remus and I will be waiting for you in Hogsmeade.  Be careful.  I don't want to have to call the Ministry to reverse anything gone awry."

                "Yes, Godfather."

                Remus and Severus disappeared with a _crack_, and Draco and Harry were left alone.

                "It's all over, love, it's finally over."

                "I know, Draco.  We can finally love in peace."

                "Are you ready to face them?"

                "Yes."  And he pressed his lips to Draco's in a gentle kiss before taking his hand.

                The two Apparated to Hogsmeade, where Remus and Severus were standing together, Remus's head against Severus's shoulder.  The brunette raised his head when they appeared, and the four set off for Hogwarts.

                Before the quintet reached the doors, however, they opened of their own accord, and several people came out.  One stopped when she saw them.

                "Draco?" she whispered before she ran towards them and hugged Draco.  The others followed her path.

                Pansy detached herself from Draco and looked at him and Harry.

                "It's all okay now, isn't it?  It's all over, isn't it?" she asked.

                "It is, Pansy.  Voldemort is gone."

                Pansy smiled.  "And you and he can finally be in peace."

                "Yes, we can."

                George, meanwhile, had come up behind Pansy, and she slipped her hand in his.

                "May I introduce George Weasley, my fiancé?" she told Draco, and he moved his gaze to George, who acknowledged him with a cool nod.

                "Could I speak with him for a moment, Pansy?" Draco asked her, and she looked at him in surprise, though she nodded.  She kissed George quickly on the lips before walking a distance away, eyes looking curiously at them.

                Draco stepped close to George.  "Take care of her, will you?  She's been through a lot, and she deserves some happiness."

                "I will, Malfoy, you need not worry," George replied, and Draco nodded.

                Meanwhile, Sirius was talking to Remus.

                "Remy, you're back…"

                "Siri…I've found him," Remus replied quietly, and Sirius turned to look at Severus standing beside him.

                "So you're still alive, Snape," he said harshly.

                "Of course.  I would never leave Remus in the hands of someone like you," Severus replied.

                Remus cast a look between them.

                "Siri, you know that I love Severus.  Just accept us, please."

                Sirius looked at his love through eyes thick with emotion, and he knew that what he had dreaded had finally come to pass.

                "I…I love you, Remy, I do, but if being with him," he shot a glance at Severus, "makes you happy, then I…I wish you happiness.  But Snape, if you ever hurt him, I will personally hunt you down and kill you," Sirius threatened.

                "I think your godson wants to talk to you," Severus replied, and Sirius turned to Harry.

                "What is it, Harry?"

                "Remember when you asked me about how everything was several months ago?"

                "Yeah.  Why?"

                "I…I never told you the truth.  Remember when you asked me whether I had a girlfriend?"

                "Did you?"

                "Not exactly.  I…had a boyfriend."

                "Who?" Sirius asked.

                "Draco Malfoy," Harry replied, and Sirius turned his head to look at the blonde standing by Harry, who was busy talking to George.

                "Malfoy?  Why him, when there are so many other people out there?"

                "Probably for the same reason that Remus chose Snape over you," Harry replied quietly.  "I love him, Sirius.  I just never told you because I didn't think that you would approve.  But now, the war's over, and I'm ready.  We are engaged, and I thought that you needed to know because I want you to be there, I want you to give us your blessings."

                "I…"  Sirius was at a loss for words.  In the space of several minutes, Remus had rejected him for the last time and he had discovered that his godson was seeing a Malfoy of all people.

                "I understand if you don't approve, Sirius," Harry said, "but I felt that you should know anyway."

                "I…I give you my blessings, Harry.  If he really makes you happy, then I won't oppose to this.  But I'll be keeping an eye on him, you can be sure of that," he replied, and Sirius shot a glare at Draco.

***

                Harry and Draco stood in the Astronomy Tower, the place where they had first truly kissed.  The two looked out of the window and into the gentle black sky, lit with millions of bright stars.  The moonlight shone down on them, giving both an angelic quality.

                Draco turned to Harry, and he held their intertwined hands in front of them.

                "This is the beginning of the rest of our lives together, Harry."

                "I know, Draco, and I couldn't want anything else.  Being with you…It's the only thing that matters to me."

                "I love you," Draco said, and he brought their intertwined hands up and kissed Harry's hand.

                "I love you, too, more than life itself," Harry replied and he leaned close and gently kissed Draco.  The moonlight illuminated their kiss and gave it an ethereal quality, as if saying that this was the end and all that they had fought for was finally in their hands.

***

                _"When the Elemental Wood saves the Elemental Metal from the darkness, and when the Heir of Gryffindor and the Heir of Slytherin save each other, the gray-eyed Dragon will be able to free her love from his prison, and the granddaughter will be able to redeem the grandson by the power of her love."_

End.

____________________________________________

It's been almost a year since I started this, and my first ever HP fanfic has finally been completed.  Yes, I will write a sequel to this, though due to certain circumstances as of now, the sequel will not be up until at least June.  Thanks to all of you for staying with me during this time, and I hope to hear from you when the sequel is up!  Special thanks to my beta, aurias ve, for sticking with me and helping me with so many mistakes.  And without my reviewers and my readers, I wouldn't have found the encouragement that every author needs.  Thanks to all who have ever read this fic, commented on it, gave me suggestions, anything.  I could not have done any of this without any of you.


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